University of California-Irvine · BiologyYassa Memory Lab
Michael A Yassa · Irvine, California
Research Focus
Dr. Michael Yassa's lab at UC Irvine focuses on unraveling the complexities of memory and its impact on mental health and neurodegenerative diseases. Research in the lab investigates conditions like anhedonia—a loss of pleasure—by exploring its relationship with memory processing and neural circuitry. The lab also examines how cerebrovascular health affects Alzheimer’s disease progression, especially in minority populations, aiming to develop predictive biomarkers that can guide interventions and improve clinical outcomes.
anhedoniaAlzheimer's diseasecerebrovascular healthneuroimagingmemorycomputational psychiatryracial disparitiesmental health
Research Aims
5AIM 01Test how anhedonia affects memory function and its underlying neural mechanisms.
AIM 02Explore the effects of cerebrovascular injury on Alzheimer’s disease progression.
AIM 03Develop predictive models for memory decline linked to vascular health.
AIM 04Investigate the role of lifestyle factors on cognitive health disparities in different racial groups.
AIM 05Establish biomarkers for anhedonia to guide treatment decisions.
Skills the Lab Values
fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)computational modelingAI (Artificial Intelligence) techniquesstatistical analysisneuropsychological testingdata visualizationclinical research methodsbehavioral assessments
Output against the department
Publications322top 16% of dept.169th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations13ktop 28% of dept.287th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.