Carol A. Barnes, Ph.D.

Research Interests: 

To examine the neurobiological mechanisms of normal memory decline with age. 

To understand how memory is impacted in the normal aging brain, so that abnormal departures from this can be detected and identified.

To transform what we learn in animal models of normal aging into treatments that optimize and extend the cognitive healthspan of older individuals.

My work over the past four decades has focused on the aging brain, and how cognition changes during the course of normal aging.  I use animal models of human aging that allow a detailed examination of the brain mechanisms of learning and memory, and the circuits responsible for complex cognitive function. 

I use behavioral, anatomical, electrophysiological and molecular approaches to the problem of understanding brain aging – and believe that many levels of analysis are required to penetrate the mysteries of how the brain functions across the lifespan. 

The hope is that one day we will be able to positively change cognitive aging trajectories significantly.