Rodrigo M. Braga: Faculty Experts

Rodrigo M. Braga

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Assistant Professor

Precision functional brain mapping-Developing methods to map brain networks at the level of individual people, rather than group averages
Language metwork organization – Investigating how language functions are supported by distributed brain networks and how to map them without requiring active tasks
Association cortex and human evolution – Studying brain regions that have expanded in recent human evolution and support uniquely human cognition
High-resolution neuroimaging (7T fMRI) – Using ultra-high field MRI to reveal fine-scale details of brain structure and connectivity
Intracranial EEG (iEEG/ECoG) integration – Combining fMRI with direct brain recordings to understand network dynamics and validate imaging findings
Clinical translation in epilepsy – Applying individualized brain maps to improve neurosurgical planning and outcomes for patients with epilepsy
Clinical translation in dementia – Applying individualized brain maps to improve our understanding of mechanisms of cognitive decline in aging

How the brain supports language, including how we speak and understand others
How memory and imagination are connected in the brain
How we understand other people’s thoughts and emotions (social thinking)
How different parts of the brain work together as networks
How brain regions vary from person to person, and why that matters
How to use brain scans to help doctors plan safer surgeries for epilepsy
How parts of the brain have evolved to support complex human abilities like language and self-reflection