Portfolio: Basic and translational aspects of behavior and cognitive neuroscience; CNS plasticity; Lewy Body Dementia; neuroimaging development (disease-agnostic)
Additional Keywords: Normal adult learning and memory, spatial orientation, cognitive functions, circuits, connectomics; PET ligand development; MR imaging sequence development; improved methods for imaging the neurovasculature (e.g., MRA); Parkinson’s Disease dementia; dementia with Lewy Bodies
Dr. Debra Babcock joined the NINDS in 2005 as a Program Director in the Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster. Dr. Babcock received a B.A. in Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago. She subsequently earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Rush University followed by a M.D. from the University of Illinois. Her Medical Internship was completed at Loyola University and her Residency in Neurology at the University of Chicago. Following residency, Dr. Babcock’s interests in neuronal death and calcium imaging lead her to fellowships at the University of Chicago and at Washington University at St. Louis. While at Washington University, she also received fellowship training in Movement Disorders. After leaving Washington University, Dr. Babcock joined NIMH in 2001 as Program Director of the Neural Systems Psychopathology Program; in 2004, she took on additional responsibility as Acting Branch Chief of the Experimental Therapeutics Branch. She then moved to the NINDS where she is responsible for overseeing a research grant portfolio that focuses on basic and translational aspects of cognition and neuroimaging relevant to neurological disorders.