Research Scientist
Neuromotivation and Network Integrity Laboratory
Dr. Dobryakova conducts clinical research in populations with cognitive dysfunction caused by traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis. She incorporates functional neuroimaging in her research, which focuses on the activity of the fronto-striatal network in fatigue and outcome processing in these populations. Her findings indicate that noninvasive, nonpharmacologic interventions may be useful for addressing deficits in learning processes, and in ameliorating the impact of debilitating cognitive fatigue.
Dr. Dobryakova is the author of 20 peer-reviewed articles, and chapters in the Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology and Cognition and Behavior in Multiple Sclerosis. Honors include the 2019 International Neuropsychological Society's Early Career Award, a 2016 Switzer Fellowship, funded by the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), a 2015 Independent Investigator Grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, and recognition by the New Jersey Neuropsychological Society. Her research funding includes NIDILRR, National MS Society, New Jersey Health Foundation, and the New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research. Dr. Dobryakova was recently elected Co-Chair Elect of the ACRM's Neurodegenerative Diseases Networking Group, serves as Communication Task Force Chair of ACRM's Early Career Networking Group, and is an active member of the communications committee for the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. She is a research assistant professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Huffington Post articles:
- Keeping Up with Brain Mapping
- Mapping Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Improving Public Health Through Brain Research
- The Hidden World of the Brain: The Role of the Basal Ganglia Beyond Movement
- Linking Us Together Through Our Rested Brains
American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) newsletter articles:
- How to Prepare for a Conference
- When You Have Nothing to Lose and Everything to Gain, Just Ask!
- Caveats and Benefits of Team Work: How to Make the Best of It
It is no exaggeration to say that motivated behavior and valuation of its outcomes is an integral part of daily life. The cortico-striatal brain network has been shown to play an important role in motivated behavior as well as in fatigue and depression that so many clinical populations experience, including individuals with traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis. Using functional neuroimaging, I investigate the functioning of the cortico-strital network during motivated behavior and its relationship with fatigue and depression. I also explore functional and effective brain connectivity in relationship with cognition in individuals with traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis.