University of Southern California · NeuroscienceThe Cognition Imaging Lab
Danny Jj Wang · Los Angeles, California
Research Focus
Dr. Danny Jj Wang's lab at the University of Southern California focuses on understanding how small vessel disease affects cognitive function and dementia through innovative imaging techniques. They are working to validate biomarkers that help identify these conditions, with a specific emphasis on diverse populations in Los Angeles. The lab is also exploring how the blood-brain barrier functions and can be assessed non-invasively using MRI technology, which could lead to new diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases.
small vessel diseasecognitive impairmentdementiablood-brain barriernon-invasive imagingbiomarkersMRIlongitudinal studiesmultiethnic populationsneurodegeneration
Research Aims
5AIM 01Validate imaging and blood-based biomarkers for VCID in diverse populations.
AIM 02Use non-invasive MRI to map blood-brain barrier water exchange and permeability.
AIM 03Investigate the relationship between BBB dysfunction and neurodegenerative disorders.
AIM 04Develop a high-resolution technique for assessing BBB dynamics.
AIM 05Study age-related changes in BBB function in healthy and unhealthy populations.
Skills the Lab Values
MRI imagingoptical coherence tomographyblood sample analysislongitudinal study designdata collectionparticipant recruitmentcognitive evaluationneuroimaging techniquesstatistical analysiscommunity outreach
Output against the department
Publications475top 12% of dept.83rd of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations13ktop 30% of dept.201st of 671
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.