Ana Manea, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology

E-MAIL: [email protected]

Advising Statement

Research Interests:

Timescales are a fundamental concept used to analyze the duration and progression of events across various domains, from natural science to human activities and psychopathology. Recent advancements in large-scale electrophysiology and ultrahigh-field MRI have enabled us to investigate neural, behavioral, and disease progression timescales in macaque models with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. We operationalize this concept across three key areas: mapping baseline neural dynamics through whole-brain resting-state fMRI and large-scale electrophysiology, exploring the coordination between neural and behavioral timescales in ecologically valid settings, and examining how neural dynamics evolve over time in chronic conditions such as substance use disorders. Moreover, we are interested in mapping the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists on the healthy brain and exploring how they may serve as therapeutic interventions for substance use disorder. Finally, we are studying the neural correlates of usefulness and decision-making using a modified version of Tetris and Neuropixel probes. Together, these efforts leverage cutting-edge techniques to deepen our understanding of neural dynamics, behavior, and disease progression, with a strong translational focus.

Publications:

  • Tang W, Monko ME, Liu Z, Manea AMG, Ortega FA, Hart D, Zhou J, Zimmermann J, Heilbronner SR. Functional vs anatomical cortico-striatal connectivity in the macaque brain. Transl Psychiatry. 2025;16(1):13.
  • Manea AMG, Erickson T, Salazar GD, Heilbronner SR, Zilverstand A, Zimmermann J.. Convergent and divergent neural and behavioral responses to chronic cocaine use in macaques. bioRxiv 2025 Sep 25:2025.09.23.678075. doi: 10.1101/2025.09.23.678075.
  • Manea AMG, Maisson DJ, Voloh B, Zilverstand A, Hayden B, Zimmermann J. Neural timescales reflect behavioral demands in freely moving rhesus macaques. Nat. Commun. 2024 Mar 9;15(1):2151.
  • Cushnie AK, Bullock DN, Manea AMG, Tang W, Zimmermann J, Heilbronner SR. The use of chemogenetic actuator ligands in nonhuman primate DREADDs-fMRI. Curr. Res. Neurobiol. 2023;4:100072.
  • Manea AM, Zilverstand A, Ugurbil K, Heilbronner SR, Zimmermann J. Intrinsic timescales as an organizational principle of neural processing across the whole rhesus macaque brain. eLife 2022;11:e75540.
Ana Manea