PhD Student

My research focuses on the impact of sex on Alzheimer’s Disease, with a specific focus on language abilities. Neuropsychological assessments of memory decline, like list learning or story recall, have a strong verbal component. Across the lifespan women outperform men on these kinds of tests and because these tests lack sex-specific norms, women get diagnosed later. (Female Verbal Memory Advantage? sound more like a DISadvantage to me). By investigating the longitudinal trajectories of cognitive decline, neuropathological spread and white matter tract degeneration, I aim to improve the detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in women.

Scientific Contributions

Research Tools

Sex-specific MRI atlases – in the process of being validated

Publications

Novozhilova, S., Fonov, V., Shafie, N., Klein, D., Villeneuve, S., Collins, D. L. (2025). Sex Specific Trajectories of Verbal Memory Decline Suggest Masking of Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms in Females. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.07.25339777

Community Outreach

The Neuro Book Club

As the Social Events Chair for The Neuro Trainee Committee I run a book club that meets every last friday of the month in the mural room.

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