Dr. Emily Rogalski is a clinical and cognitive neuroscientist and Professor of Neurology. Her research falls under the broad umbrella of aging and dementia. Using a multimodal approach, she focuses her investigations on two aging perspectives: primary progressive aphasia (PPA) in which neurodegenerative disease invades the language network and SuperAging in which individuals are seemingly resistant to the deleterious changes in memory associated with “normal” or more typical cognitive aging. Her PPA research focuses on characterizing the clinical and anatomical features of PPA, drivers of disease progression,
identifying risk factors, and refining our understanding of language network organization.
She has also pioneered a line of research concentrated on maximizing care and quality of life for individuals living with PPA and related dementias. She operationalized the SuperAging phenotype and has helped to establish the unique biologic, molecular, genetic, and psychosocial features associated with SuperAging. The study of SuperAgers holds promise for identifying protective factors for avoiding Alzheimer’s disease, optimizing health span, and reducing stigma and negative expectations associated with aging.