Research Interests
Monica Fabiani's research interests are in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory and aging, as well as in the development of tools for the non-invasive mapping of human brain function. As is typical of the cognitive neuroscience approach, her research involves the integration of data from different domains, including behavioral responses, neuropsychological tests, and brain anatomy and function (event-related brain potentials, or ERPs; structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI; and optical imaging, including near infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS, a new techniques developed with Gabriele Gratton, the event-related optical signals, or EROS, and more recently measures of arterial elasticity).
Prof. Fabiani's research includes several interconnected lines: (1) Cerebrovascular contributions to structural, functional, and cognitive aging, using a newly developed optical method (pulse-DOT, the cerebral arterial pulse measured with diffuse optical tomography) to assess cerebrovascular status (funded by NIA); (2) Neurophysiological and structural, bases of cognitive control, attention and working memory in normal aging, with a focus on individual differences (funded by NIA); and (3) development of new non-invasive optical brain imaging methods and their integration with currently existing methods (EEG/ERPs, functional and structural MRI, ASL, and TMS; funded by MindPortal).
Research Description
Monica Fabiani's research interests are in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory and aging, as well as in the development of tools for the non-invasive mapping of human brain function. As is typical of the cognitive neuroscience approach, her research involves the integration of data from different domains, including behavioral responses, neuropsychological tests, and brain anatomy and function (event-related brain potentials, or ERPs; structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI; and optical imaging, including near infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS, and a new technique developed by Gabriele Gratton (CNS Group) and Fabiani, the event-related optical signals, or EROS). <br><br>Fabiani's current research encompasses several interconnected lines: (1) Research on the neurophysiological and psychological bases of sensory and working memory in normal aging , with particular reference to frontal lobe/executive function and individual differences among younger and older adults; (2) an extension of this research to the effects of alcohol on executive function ; (3) research on the development of a new non-invasive optical brain imaging method (the event-related optical signal * EROS) and its integration with currently existing methods; and (4) research on the application of optical methods (EROS and near-infrared spectroscopy * NIRS) to issues of aging research, with emphasis on neurovascular coupling .
Education
Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Psychology
Professor, Neuroscience Program
Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Recent Publications
Clements, G. M., Camacho, P., Bowie, D. C., Low, K. A., Sutton, B. P., Gratton, G., & Fabiani, M. (2025). Effects of Aging, Estimated Fitness, and Cerebrovascular Status on White Matter Microstructural Health. Human Brain Mapping, 46(5), Article e70168. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70168
Moore, M., Iordan, A. D., Katsumi, Y., Fabiani, M., Gratton, G., & Dolcos, F. (2025). Trimodal brain imaging: A novel approach for simultaneous investigation of human brain function. Biological Psychology, 194, Article 108967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108967
Smith, A. E., Bower, I. S., Fabiani, M., & Karayanidis, F. (2025). Environmental enrichment in cognitive and brain aging. In J. H. Grafman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Human Brain: Volumes 1-5 (2 ed., Vol. 3, pp. 528-539). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00050-4
Bowie, D. C., Low, K. A., Rubenstein, S. L., Islam, S. S., Zimmerman, B., Camacho, P. B., Sutton, B. P., Gratton, G., & Fabiani, M. (2024). Neurovascular mechanisms of cognitive aging: Sex-related differences in the average progression of arteriosclerosis, white matter atrophy, and cognitive decline. Neurobiology of Disease, 201, Article 106653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106653
Chiou, N., Günal, M., Koyejo, S., Perpetuini, D., Chiarelli, A. M., Low, K. A., Fabiani, M., & Gratton, G. (2024). Single-Trial Detection and Classification of Event-Related Optical Signals for a Brain–Computer Interface Application. Bioengineering, 11(8), Article 781. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11080781