Dr. Willette examines why some older adults develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD related dementias (ADRD) compared to others who remain cognitively healthy. He also maintains an interest in the biological underpinnings of mood disorders. His methodological expertise is in neuroimaging, including any scan sequence in MR imaging and popular radiotracers using PET. His main area of content expertise is psychoneuroimmunology, which involves examining crosstalk between the immune system and the brain, which in turn can reveal novel insights into brain and behavior. He uses a combination of data-driven methods (e.g., machine learning) and content expertise to uncover novel biomarkers that can inform early disease-like changes in the brain and behavioral disturbances.
- Title
- Associate Professor
- Area of Study/Expertise
- Brain imaging (MRI, PET, SPECT); proteomics; metabolomics; lipidomics; translational neuroscience; multi-omic integration; innate immunity and inflammation; Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD); mood disorders
- aaw139@rwjms.rutgers.edu