Dr. 莫妮卡Rosselli

Dr. 莫妮卡Rosselli，教授及副主席 FAU的心理学系, has been part of the KU体育官网APP faculty for 27 years. Her research initiatives may have changed year over year, but one thing is for certain, Dr. Rosselli continues to change the way we look at cognitive behaviors and is pushing her research to greater heights with the help of her eclectic team of investigators, 研究人员, 和学生.

She started out as an assistant professor at what used to be called the 文理学院, here at the Florida Atlantic 戴维校园. It was a place that she felt confident would bring her research new opportunities for growth. 它确实做到了. 的 FAU神经心理学实验室 flourished with 学生 and 研究人员 alike measuring electrical activity of the brain, studying essential data and providing insight on the behavior and cognitive functionality of the brain.

随着她实验室的发展, so did her interest in studying the effect of aging on the brain and the variables that influence the onset of dementia – specifically, the importance of culture and language practice. Her goal is to find out if the part of your brain that is used when speaking more than one language is protected – so to speak - from cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Dr. Rosselli oversees a team of undergraduate and graduate 学生 at FAU’s Neuropsychology Lab on FAU’s 戴维 campus. One of their current NIH-funded five-year study uses in-vehicle sensors to detect cognitive change in older drivers. 的 sensor systems include things like cameras, 船上诊断, GPS systems and motion and orientation detection. 的y will also have vision sensors that detect driver awareness, and behavior. 然后, 研究人员 can track how many miles were driven during the day and night, abnormal driving habits (like getting lost, 失去焦点, 和近碰撞事件), reaction time when stopping and braking patterns. This data will be recorded and then compared with results from their initial cognitive assessments.

的 idea is that there are cognitive changes as you age that are related to your ability to drive, such as reaction time when checking and changing lanes, 合并, 左转, 指示停车或跟随路线. This study will shed light on whether the cognitive tests have the ability to predict driving patterns.

"My 学生 and I are responsible for conducting neurocognitive assessments every three months. 的se neuropsychological tests give us a clinical assessment of normal aging or subtle cognitive impairment decline at baseline and the possibility to analyze if changes over time in memory, attention and concentration tests as well as inhibitory control tests correlate with driving modifications.," Dr. Rosselli说.

的 study is a coordinated team effort of investigators 和学生 and gives undergraduate and graduate 学生 the opportunity to develop assessment skills in a very hands-on way. From conducting the tests to documenting the data, each step is calculated and mentored.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for these 学生 to propel their careers forward. I’m so proud of their work and enjoy watching them grow in the research field," Dr. Rosselli说.

Dr. Rosselli plans to take her research to the next level in the coming months. Between the investigators from nursing and engineering as well as the college of science, 有大量的数据正在被收集. 现在, they are working together to combine the information and conduct a preliminary analysis of the data so they can compare changes and trends. She’s also focusing on how to recruit participants – as many and as diverse as possible – while retaining all participants.

但她也有旅行的计划. 她不在实验室的时候. Rosselli likes to study the Italian language. She hopes to travel through Italy, practicing the language and enjoying the sights. 她也喜欢跳舞。! She actually took a few dance classes and can tango, salsa, cumbia and more. Of course, with her charismatic personality, it’s no surprise that she is fun and outgoing. She considers herself a "glass half full" optimist and when asked what superpower she would pick, her answer was "to make people smile every day."

博士的未来当然是光明的. Rosselli和她的团队. 的re’s so much more to explore in her neuropsychology lab. 增加针对性别的测试, race and ethnicity will add more layers to her study and provide even more extensive data.

“我热爱我的工作. I feel so fortunate to have the group of 学生 I have. We work so well together, and we are making a difference every day in academia and science," Dr. Rosselli说. "Besides, how wonderful is it to love what you do so much that it never feels like work?"