Helena Gellersen, PhD

Dr. Helena Gellersen received her doctorate from the University of Cambridge, where she studied changes in memory processes across the age range, including both healthy older adults and those at risk for cognitive decline. She is now a postdoctoral researcher at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, where her work spans cognitive, clinical, and computational neuroscience methods. Dr. Gellersen studies early signatures of Alzheimer’s disease pathology as they manifest in changes to functional brain networks and cognition. Her work involves longitudinal cohort studies and draws on data from neuroimaging and cognitive testing. The goal is to identify structural and functional neuroimaging markers specific to these early pathological processes. She also aims to assess new cognitive tests sensitive to subtle changes in memory functions associated with preclinical and prodromal Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Ultimately, Dr. Gellersen’s work seeks to untangle the complex interplay between brain structure, function, and cognitive impairment over time, which can provide insight into disease subtypes and progression. In addition to her research, Dr. Gellersen co-authored two popular science books to communicate basic neuroscience concepts to a wider audience and is passionate about promoting open science and reproducible research practices through her involvement in the grassroots initiative ReproducibiliTea, and serves on the committee of the Neuroimaging Professional Interest Area of the Alzheimer’s Association.