HIPPOCAMPAL ALTERATION IN METHAMPHETAMINE MISUSE  

Study Overview: This study seeks to characterize dissociable microstructural changes in the structure of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that supports memory, and associated memory deficits among people who use methamphetamine. The project applies high resolution neuroimaging tools and sensitive behavioral measures designed to capture and quantify the natural variability in memory abilities among people who use methamphetamine and matched non-users. This project will lay the groundwork to assess rehabilitative therapy success aimed at slowing or reversing cognitive decline among people who use methamphetamine in an effort to significantly decrease personal and societal burden. 

Biography: Dr. Schwarb is an experimental psychologist who studies human learning and memory and applies neuroimaging techniques to answer questions about the organization and structure of the human brain. Her research leverages multiple behavioral, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging tools to explore the organization and control of memory. Her current research is dedicated at understanding the structure and function of the hippocampal memory network and how this system is altered under various typical and pathological conditions. Her research program focuses on multiple conditions that contribute to change in both memory abilities and the anatomy of supporting brain structures including typical and atypical aging, traumatic brain injury, and substance use. Dr. Schwarb earned her Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology and spent 11 years at the University of Illinois before joining the faculty at UNL in 2023.