USC Dornsife News

The Healthy Minds Research Volunteer Corps at USC enlists potential research study participants of varying racial and socioeconomic backgrounds from across the greater Los Angeles area.

November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and researchers at USC Dornsife and other USC schools try to pinpoint where the disease starts, and consider treatments from there.

As time becomes more limited, people tend to focus more on their emotional goals, says Mara Mather of psychology.

Mara Mather of psychology finds that a small part of the brainstem that helps regulate attention, memory and cognition may be the first place affected in many cases of the disease.

The population of older adults will soon overtake that of young people in much of the world. An innovative program will allow students to explore topics in aging in a country at the forefront of this “silver tsunami.”

Mara Mather of psychology and gerontology proposes a new explanation behind shocking or exciting incidents that can either improve or impair the memories surrounding them.

Mara Mather, professor of gerontology at USC Davis and psychology at USC Dornsife, co-authored a recent paper showing that ageist beliefs about older adults can affect the group’s memory test performance.