Jenna Merenstein
@jmerenstein.bsky.social
lover of dogs, music, mountains, and studying the aging human brain using MRI.
🌴 PhD @ UCR LANI Lab
🧠 NIA F32 postdoc @duke-university.bsky.social
🏔️ current asst prof @utah.edu
✨ views are my own
www.uclimb-lab.com
🌴 PhD @ UCR LANI Lab
🧠 NIA F32 postdoc @duke-university.bsky.social
🏔️ current asst prof @utah.edu
✨ views are my own
www.uclimb-lab.com
Pinned
Jenna Merenstein
@jmerenstein.bsky.social
· Oct 16
Sharing our new paper in Brain Communications ➡️ doi.org/10.1093/brai...
We show that structural connectivity, as measured by high-resolution diffusion-weighted MRI, improved the ability to predict age-related alterations in brain function and cognition, relative to standard spatial resolution.
We show that structural connectivity, as measured by high-resolution diffusion-weighted MRI, improved the ability to predict age-related alterations in brain function and cognition, relative to standard spatial resolution.
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Abstract submission open, The 65th Annual Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance (RMCMR) August 2-6, 2026, Snowbird, Utah, featuring EPR & Solid-state NMR Symposia, submission deadline is April 24 for oral abstracts & May 15 for posters rockychem.com/conference/c... #NMRchat #NMR 🧲
February 17, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Abstract submission open, The 65th Annual Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance (RMCMR) August 2-6, 2026, Snowbird, Utah, featuring EPR & Solid-state NMR Symposia, submission deadline is April 24 for oral abstracts & May 15 for posters rockychem.com/conference/c... #NMRchat #NMR 🧲
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Future @ohbmofficial.bsky.social meeting dates just annouced:
* 2027 - Toronto, Canada
* 2028 - Yokohama, Japan
www.ohbm-com.com/blog/futurem...
* 2027 - Toronto, Canada
* 2028 - Yokohama, Japan
www.ohbm-com.com/blog/futurem...
Next Stops for OHBM: Toronto, Canada in 2027 and Yokohama, Japan in 2028 — OHBM Communications
We are thrilled to announce the locations for our next two upcoming Annual Meetings! The 2027 OHBM Annual Meeting will be held in Toronto, Canada, followed by the 2028 OHBM Annual Meeting in Yokohama,...
www.ohbm-com.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Future @ohbmofficial.bsky.social meeting dates just annouced:
* 2027 - Toronto, Canada
* 2028 - Yokohama, Japan
www.ohbm-com.com/blog/futurem...
* 2027 - Toronto, Canada
* 2028 - Yokohama, Japan
www.ohbm-com.com/blog/futurem...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Here is the link to our "The Brain Resilience Study protocol," an ongoing project through the @sfuneuro.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The Brain Resilience Study protocol: Building a dataset of the biological and sociocultural factors affecting brain health in older adults
Dementia arises from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. However, previous large-scale studies have largely f…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Here is the link to our "The Brain Resilience Study protocol," an ongoing project through the @sfuneuro.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
📚 NEW ISSUE 📚
Articles cover optimized atlases for tau-PET staging, depressive symptoms and MR spectroscopy biomarkers of early AD, and more.
www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neur...
Articles cover optimized atlases for tau-PET staging, depressive symptoms and MR spectroscopy biomarkers of early AD, and more.
www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neur...
Neurobiology of Aging | Vol 158, Pages 1-52 (February 2026) | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
Read the latest articles of Neurobiology of Aging at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature
www.sciencedirect.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:29 AM
📚 NEW ISSUE 📚
Articles cover optimized atlases for tau-PET staging, depressive symptoms and MR spectroscopy biomarkers of early AD, and more.
www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neur...
Articles cover optimized atlases for tau-PET staging, depressive symptoms and MR spectroscopy biomarkers of early AD, and more.
www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neur...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Breathing in polluted air as we age may harm a part of the brain linked to memory and Alzheimer's disease. Scientists found that air pollution can lead to changes in the medial temporal lobe, a key area for memory. Learn more: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41482168/
January 12, 2026 at 10:45 PM
Breathing in polluted air as we age may harm a part of the brain linked to memory and Alzheimer's disease. Scientists found that air pollution can lead to changes in the medial temporal lobe, a key area for memory. Learn more: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41482168/
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
For 15(!) years I’ve been teaching introductory #MRI to grad students, and struggled to find a textbook for a wide variety of backgrounds. I'm happy to share an online textbook I created, fully open source (including code for generating figures and plots shown):
larsonlab.github.io/MRI-educatio...
larsonlab.github.io/MRI-educatio...
Introduction to Principles of MRI — Principles of MRI
larsonlab.github.io
January 10, 2026 at 7:42 AM
For 15(!) years I’ve been teaching introductory #MRI to grad students, and struggled to find a textbook for a wide variety of backgrounds. I'm happy to share an online textbook I created, fully open source (including code for generating figures and plots shown):
larsonlab.github.io/MRI-educatio...
larsonlab.github.io/MRI-educatio...
Newest paper out now in Imaging Neuroscience 🤗
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Jenna L. Merenstein, David J. Madden, et al:
Higher spatial resolution diffusion-weighted imaging improves characterization of white matter disconnection in Alzheimer’s disease
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Higher spatial resolution diffusion-weighted imaging improves characterization of white matter disconnection in Alzheimer’s disease
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
January 10, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Newest paper out now in Imaging Neuroscience 🤗
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
A must-read review. It argues that brain areas are only one of several organizing principles and are not especially central, given their weak correspondence to function. Cytoarchitecture and connectivity are a starting point, not the endpoint.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
Rethinking the centrality of brain areas in understanding functional organization - Nature Neuroscience
Parcellation of the cortex into functionally modular brain areas is foundational to neuroscience. Here, Hayden, Heilbronner and Yoo question the central status of brain areas in neuroscience from the ...
www.nature.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:21 PM
A must-read review. It argues that brain areas are only one of several organizing principles and are not especially central, given their weak correspondence to function. Cytoarchitecture and connectivity are a starting point, not the endpoint.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Hecheng Jin, Ting Xu, et al:
Is Pearson’s correlation coefficient enough for functional connectivity in fMRI?
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Is Pearson’s correlation coefficient enough for functional connectivity in fMRI?
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
December 8, 2025 at 11:20 PM
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Hecheng Jin, Ting Xu, et al:
Is Pearson’s correlation coefficient enough for functional connectivity in fMRI?
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Is Pearson’s correlation coefficient enough for functional connectivity in fMRI?
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Just finished my last class of the semester🎉Reminded of how much I love teaching this academic writing class for grad students. We focus on improving our writing but also reducing anxiety and becoming a more consistent & productive writer
Some of the students favorite writing tips/learnings below:
Some of the students favorite writing tips/learnings below:
December 5, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Just finished my last class of the semester🎉Reminded of how much I love teaching this academic writing class for grad students. We focus on improving our writing but also reducing anxiety and becoming a more consistent & productive writer
Some of the students favorite writing tips/learnings below:
Some of the students favorite writing tips/learnings below:
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
✨ SHINY NEW PAPER ✨
MRI-derived regional volume and thickness are stronger predictors of cognitive decline, especially for memory, but plasma biomarkers do add predictive value
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458025001137
MRI-derived regional volume and thickness are stronger predictors of cognitive decline, especially for memory, but plasma biomarkers do add predictive value
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458025001137
Integrating plasma, MRI, and cognitive biomarkers for personalized prediction of decline across cognitive domains
Plasma biomarkers are associated with cognitive performance and decline in Alzheimer’s disease, making them promising for early detection. This study …
www.sciencedirect.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:16 AM
✨ SHINY NEW PAPER ✨
MRI-derived regional volume and thickness are stronger predictors of cognitive decline, especially for memory, but plasma biomarkers do add predictive value
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458025001137
MRI-derived regional volume and thickness are stronger predictors of cognitive decline, especially for memory, but plasma biomarkers do add predictive value
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458025001137
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Very cool new work from the Iglesias group at MGH: A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation (also available at OpenNeuro - openneuro.org/datasets/ds0...) : www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation - Nature
NextBrain is an open source, probabilistic atlas of the entire human brain, assembled using artificial-intelligence-enabled registration and segmentation methods to reconstruct the multimodal serial h...
www.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Very cool new work from the Iglesias group at MGH: A probabilistic histological atlas of the human brain for MRI segmentation (also available at OpenNeuro - openneuro.org/datasets/ds0...) : www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
No more paylines at the NIH
grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
Implementing a Unified NIH Funding Strategy to Guide Consistent and Clearer Award Decisions | Grants & Funding
grants.nih.gov
November 21, 2025 at 7:45 PM
No more paylines at the NIH
grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Adam Kimbler & Craig E.L. Stark:
Advanced diffusion imaging in grey matter reflects individual differences in cognitive ability in older adults
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Advanced diffusion imaging in grey matter reflects individual differences in cognitive ability in older adults
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
November 21, 2025 at 3:57 AM
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Adam Kimbler & Craig E.L. Stark:
Advanced diffusion imaging in grey matter reflects individual differences in cognitive ability in older adults
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Advanced diffusion imaging in grey matter reflects individual differences in cognitive ability in older adults
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Merenstein et al show structural brain connectivity, measured by high-resolution diffusion-weighted MRI, improved predictions of age-related alterations in brain function and cognitive performance, relative to standard spatial resolution buff.ly/0IOgtRX @jmerenstein.bsky.social @nba-eic.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Merenstein et al show structural brain connectivity, measured by high-resolution diffusion-weighted MRI, improved predictions of age-related alterations in brain function and cognitive performance, relative to standard spatial resolution buff.ly/0IOgtRX @jmerenstein.bsky.social @nba-eic.bsky.social
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Calling all rising juniors & seniors: Interested in biological or biomedical research? Applications for our ’26 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program are now open! Nine weeks, hands-on research, & mentorship from some of the nation’s top scientists — learn more: bit.ly/CechFellows
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience | HHMI
The Cech Fellows Program is a paid, nine-week summer research experience empowering the next generation of scientific leaders.
bit.ly
November 18, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Calling all rising juniors & seniors: Interested in biological or biomedical research? Applications for our ’26 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program are now open! Nine weeks, hands-on research, & mentorship from some of the nation’s top scientists — learn more: bit.ly/CechFellows
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Diffusion MRI Microstructure Markers of Changes in the Human Brain Across the Lifespan Using Constrained Spherical Deconvolution and Fixel-Based Techniques
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Diffusion MRI Microstructure Markers of Changes in the Human Brain Across the Lifespan Using Constrained Spherical Deconvolution and Fixel‐Based Techniques
Diffusion microstructure compartment and subject age across the lifespan. Whole brain tissue has the highest proportion of ICI signal fraction early in the lifespan; as development occurs the ICA sig...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Diffusion MRI Microstructure Markers of Changes in the Human Brain Across the Lifespan Using Constrained Spherical Deconvolution and Fixel-Based Techniques
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
Multivariate environmental exposures are reflected in whole-brain functional connectivity and cognition in youth | bioRxiv www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 16, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Multivariate environmental exposures are reflected in whole-brain functional connectivity and cognition in youth | bioRxiv www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
We just published a paper in PNAS, showing microstructural changes to the hippocampus in aging and presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease - in humans, in vivo.
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
November 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
We just published a paper in PNAS, showing microstructural changes to the hippocampus in aging and presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease - in humans, in vivo.
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
We continue to show the value of structural MRI beyond simply measuring large-scale atrophy!
Read here: ow.ly/1NvV50XkXnX
I am so excited to be a faculty mentor for the University of Utah's Summer Program for Undergraduate Research 2026! This is a nationally competitive, 10-week program providing undergraduates with an intensive paid research experience. Apps are due 01/25/2026! utah.infoready4.com#undergraduate
November 4, 2025 at 12:37 PM
I am so excited to be a faculty mentor for the University of Utah's Summer Program for Undergraduate Research 2026! This is a nationally competitive, 10-week program providing undergraduates with an intensive paid research experience. Apps are due 01/25/2026! utah.infoready4.com#undergraduate
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
skiftiTools: An R package for reading, writing, analysing, and visualising, tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) derived diffusion MR images | bioRxiv www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 28, 2025 at 2:40 AM
skiftiTools: An R package for reading, writing, analysing, and visualising, tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) derived diffusion MR images | bioRxiv www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
🚨 We are seeking a Digital Presence Coordinator!
Open to psych/neuro grad students, postdocs & faculty who are passionate about improving fairness in peer review.
Job details:
💻 Managing website, socials, newsletters
🕒 4–8 hrs/month | 💵 $500 honorarium | 📅 1-year term
Apply 👉 go.iu.edu/8vxh
Open to psych/neuro grad students, postdocs & faculty who are passionate about improving fairness in peer review.
Job details:
💻 Managing website, socials, newsletters
🕒 4–8 hrs/month | 💵 $500 honorarium | 📅 1-year term
Apply 👉 go.iu.edu/8vxh
go.iu.edu
October 2, 2025 at 4:38 PM
🚨 We are seeking a Digital Presence Coordinator!
Open to psych/neuro grad students, postdocs & faculty who are passionate about improving fairness in peer review.
Job details:
💻 Managing website, socials, newsletters
🕒 4–8 hrs/month | 💵 $500 honorarium | 📅 1-year term
Apply 👉 go.iu.edu/8vxh
Open to psych/neuro grad students, postdocs & faculty who are passionate about improving fairness in peer review.
Job details:
💻 Managing website, socials, newsletters
🕒 4–8 hrs/month | 💵 $500 honorarium | 📅 1-year term
Apply 👉 go.iu.edu/8vxh
One last reminder that I’m recruiting a graduate student through the Cognition & Neural Science area @utah.edu this Fall! The lab uses MRI to study healthy cognitive aging across the adult lifespan and will start assessing factors that moderate cognitive aging (air pollution, cardiovascular health).
Yay, thanks so much for sharing this! 🥳 I am excited to be starting my new lab this Fall! I’ll be reviewing applications this cycle for 1-2 graduate students to start in Fall 2026. More information about applications can be found here: psych.utah.edu/graduate/
October 28, 2025 at 1:14 AM
One last reminder that I’m recruiting a graduate student through the Cognition & Neural Science area @utah.edu this Fall! The lab uses MRI to study healthy cognitive aging across the adult lifespan and will start assessing factors that moderate cognitive aging (air pollution, cardiovascular health).
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
⭐ My lab is recruiting a grad student for fall 2026! ⭐
🧠 If you are interested in semantic learning & memory, and want to use fMRI + computational models to ask these questions, I'll be excited to hear from you. Come join us in Bing!
🔗 sites.google.com/view/spinslab
🧠 If you are interested in semantic learning & memory, and want to use fMRI + computational models to ask these questions, I'll be excited to hear from you. Come join us in Bing!
🔗 sites.google.com/view/spinslab
October 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM
⭐ My lab is recruiting a grad student for fall 2026! ⭐
🧠 If you are interested in semantic learning & memory, and want to use fMRI + computational models to ask these questions, I'll be excited to hear from you. Come join us in Bing!
🔗 sites.google.com/view/spinslab
🧠 If you are interested in semantic learning & memory, and want to use fMRI + computational models to ask these questions, I'll be excited to hear from you. Come join us in Bing!
🔗 sites.google.com/view/spinslab
Reposted by Jenna Merenstein
🆕 New open neuroimaging dataset released!
I’m happy to share that our Naturalistic Neuroimaging Database (NNDb3T+) is now publicly available! NNDb3T+ captures rich, multimodal brain activity in a naturalistic setting with 40 participants and over 160 hours of scanning!
I’m happy to share that our Naturalistic Neuroimaging Database (NNDb3T+) is now publicly available! NNDb3T+ captures rich, multimodal brain activity in a naturalistic setting with 40 participants and over 160 hours of scanning!
October 27, 2025 at 7:04 PM
🆕 New open neuroimaging dataset released!
I’m happy to share that our Naturalistic Neuroimaging Database (NNDb3T+) is now publicly available! NNDb3T+ captures rich, multimodal brain activity in a naturalistic setting with 40 participants and over 160 hours of scanning!
I’m happy to share that our Naturalistic Neuroimaging Database (NNDb3T+) is now publicly available! NNDb3T+ captures rich, multimodal brain activity in a naturalistic setting with 40 participants and over 160 hours of scanning!