How do you go from nature photographer to memory expert? Our next speaker holds the answer. An accomplished nature photographer, Adam Gazzaley also is fascinated with the brain. After completing his MD PhD, Adam ended up as a Professor of Neuroscience at UCSF. He studies top down modulation, essentially our ability to consciously focus on our environment. That represents selectively focusing our attention, while at the same time suppressing the distractions or other inputs.

In his studies, Adam has shown there is a large neural network at play with this basic function. His work is focused on studying the degradation of this network as we age and potential methods to restore it (medicinal, surgical, and even games/brain exercises).

Want to learn more?:
UCSF’s podcast with Adam
Adam’s Research Group
Adam’s Photography Site
Science Interview with Adam
Wired Article on being a subject in Adam’s Memory Study