USING THE EYES TO UNCOVER EARLIER
SIGNS OF BRAIN DISORDERS
RRI Director of Scientific and
Academic Affairs and the
Reva James Leeds Chair in
Neuroscience and Research
Leadership, Dr. Jennifer Ryan,
has long been a pioneer of looking
into how the eyes can act as a
window into a person's memory.
She is the first researcher to find
a direct functional link between
the brain systems responsible for
our eye movements and memory
function and remains at the
forefront of this field.
Over the last year, Dr. Ryan
has uncovered a number of
breakthroughs on how the eyes
help trigger memories and their
role in bolstering a person's ability
to remember. These findings
form the basis of an eye-tracking
memory test that family doctors
could one day use to evaluate
cognitive decline among clients.
With recent upgrades to our
eyetracking technology, research
done by Dr. Ryan and other RRI
scientists and trainees works to
uncover how the eyes can aid in
earlier detection of dementia
and improve the evaluation of
memory problems.
2017–2018 YEAR IN REVIEW 11
Visit us online to learn more
about Dr. Jennifer Ryan and other
RRI scientists here.