Alireza Salami
check Recruiting a graduate student for Fall of 2025
Education
Ph.D., Umeå University (Sweden), 2012
Research Interests
Dr. Alireza Salami’s research focuses on uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in aging with a particular focus on episodic memory. He has led multiple projects funded by prestigious grant agencies, aiming to build the foundational knowledge necessary for developing future interventions that promote cognitive health in older adulthood. He is the principal investigator of one of the largest MRI/PET studies in the world on aging. The Salami Lab centers its research around three key areas:
- Inter-individual differences – exploring why some older individuals maintain cognitive function.
- Longitudinal multimodal neuroimaging – leveraging large-scale longitudinal datasets to track structural, functional, and molecular brain changes over time.
- Modifiable neurobiological factors – examining the role of dopamine and other catecholamines as potential targets for pharmacological interventions.
Lab Description
The Salami lab investigates the cognitive neuroscience of aging through advanced neuroimaging techniques, including fMRI and PET. The lab’s work integrates structural, functional, and molecular approaches to understand how brain functional dynamics evolve with age and contribute to cognitive decline. Key areas of focus include the functional dynamics of large-scale brain networks, neurotransmitter systems such as dopamine, and the brain’s functional organization. Current projects explore network- and organization-level brain function in aging, structural-functional correspondences of the aging brain, and lifespan trajectories of dopamine function and their impact on cognitive decline.
Korkki, S.M., Johansson, J., Nordin, K., Pedersen, R., Bäckman, L., Rieckmann, A., Salami, A., (2025). Dedifferentiation of caudate functional organization is linked to reduced D1 dopamine receptor availability and poorer memory function in aging. Imaging Neuroscience 10.1162.
Mooraj, Z., Salami, A., Campbell, K.L., Dahl, M.J., Kosciessa, J.Q., Nassar, M.R., Werkle-Bergner, M., Craik, F.I.M., Lindenberger, U., Mayr, U., Rajah, M.N., Raz, N., Nyberg, L., Garrett, D.D., (2025). Toward a functional future for the cognitive neuroscience of human aging. Neuron 113, 154-183.
Nordin, K., Pedersen, R., Falahati, F., Johansson, J., Grill, F., Andersson, M., Korkki, S.M., Bäckman, L., Zalesky, A., Rieckmann, A., Nyberg, L., Salami, A. (2025). Two long-axis dimensions of hippocampal-cortical integration support memory function across the adult lifespan. eLife, 97658.1.
Pedersen R, Johansson J, Nordin K, Rieckmann A, Wåhlin A, Nyberg L, Bäckman L, Salami A. (2024) Dopamine D1-receptor Organization Contributes to Functional Brain Architecture. The Journal of Neuroscience; e0621232024.
Johansson, J., Nordin, K., Pedersen, R., Karalija, N., Papenberg, G., Andersson, M., Korkki, S.M., Riklund, K., Guitart-Masip, M., Rieckmann, A., Bäckman, L., Nyberg, L., Salami, A. (2023). Bi-phasic patterns of age-related differences in dopamine D1 receptors across the adult lifespan. Cell Reports 42, 113107
Pedersen R., Johansson J., Salami A. (2023) Dopamine D1-signaling modulates maintenance of functional network segregation in aging. Aging brain, 3, 100079.
Johansson, J., Karalija, N., L., Salami, A. (2023). Cerebrovascular integrity affects gradients of age-related dopamine D1 differences in the striatum. Aging brain, 4, 100094
Gustavsson, J., Johansson, J., Falahati, F., Andersson, M., Papenberg, G., Avelar-Pereira, B., Bäckman, L., Kalpouzos, G., Salami, A. (2023). The iron-dopamine D1 coupling modulates neural signatures of working memory across adult lifespan. NeuroImage (23) 00474-3
Li, X., Salami, A., Persson, J., (2023). Hub architecture of the human structural connectome: Links to aging and processing speed. NeuroImage 278, 120270.
Stiernman L., Grill F., McNulty Ch., Bahrd Ph., Lundmark V.P., Axelsson Y., Salami A., Rieckmann A., (2023) Widespread fMRI BOLD signal overactivations during cognitive control in older adults are not matched by corresponding increases in fPET glucose metabolism, Journal of Neuroscience, 43 (14), 2527-2536.
Salami A., Adolfsson R., Andersson M., Blennow K., Lundquist A., Adolfsson A.N., Scholl M., Zetterberg H., Nyberg L. (2022) Association of APOE varepsilon4 and Plasma p-tau181 with Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease and Longitudinal Change in Hippocampus Function. J Alzheimers Dis 85, 1309-1320.
Pedersen, R., Geerligs, L., Andersson, M., Gorbach, T., Avelar-Pereira, B., Wahlin, A., Rieckmann, A., Nyberg, L., Salami, A. (2021). When functional blurring becomes deleterious: Reduced system segregation is associated with less white matter integrity and cognitive decline in aging. NeuroImage 242, 118449.
Salami, A., Papenberg, G., Sitnikov, R., Laukka, E. j. ,Persson, J., Kalpouzos, G. (2021) Elevated neuroinflammation contributes to the deleterious impact of iron overload on brain function in aging. Neuroimage, 117792.
Nordin, k., Nyberg, L., Andersson, M., Karalija, N., Riklund, K., Bäckman, L., Salami, A. (2021) Distinct and common large-scale networks of the hippocampus long-axis in older age: Links to episodic memory and dopamine D2 receptor availability. Cerebral Cortex
Pereira, B., Bäckman, L., Wåhlin, A., Nyberg, L., Salami, A. (2020) Increased functional homotopy of the prefrontal cortex is associated with corpus callosum degeneration and working memory decline. Neurobiology of Aging,10.1016
Gorbach T, Lundquist A, de Luna X, Nyberg L, Salami A. (2020) A Hierarchical Bayesian Mixture Modeling Approach for Analysis of Resting-State Functional Brain Connectivity: An Alternative to Thresholding. Brain Connectivity 10.1089/brain.2020.0740
Salami, A., Garrett, D., Wåhlin, A., Rieckmann, A., Papenberg, G., Karalija, N., Jonasson, L., Andersson, M., Karalija, N., Axelsson, J., Johansson, J., Riklund, K., Lövden, M., Lindenberger, U., Bäckman, L., Nyberg, L (2019). Dopamine D2/3 binding potential modulates neural signatures of working memory in a load-dependent fashion. Journal of Neuroscience, 39 (3), 537-547.
Salami, A., Avelar-Pereira, B., Garzón, B., Sitnikov, R., Kalpouzos, G. (2018) Functional coherence of striatal resting-state networks is modulated by striatal iron content. Neuroimage, 183, 495-503.
Salami, A., Rieckmann, A., Andersson, M., Wåhlin, A., Karalija, N., Lövden, M., Lindenberger, U., Bäckman, L., Nyberg, L. (2018) Neurocognitive Profiles of older adults with working-memory dysfunction. Cerebral Cortex 28.7, 2525-2539.
Kaboodvand, N., Lövden, M., Lindenberger, U., Bäckman, L., Nyberg, L., Salami, A. (2018). The Retrosplenial Cortex: A Memory Gateway between the Cortical Default Mode Network and the Medial Temporal Lobe. Human Brain Mapping, 39 (5), 2020-34.
Pereira, B., Bäckman, L., Wåhlin, A., Nyberg, L., Salami, A. (2017). Age-related differences in dynamic interactions among default mode, fronto-parietal control, and dorsal attention networks during resting-state and an interference resolution. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 9, 152.
Salami, A., Wåhlin, A., Kaboodvand, N., Lundquist, A., Nyberg, L., (2016). Longitudinal evidence for dissociation of anterior and posterior MTL resting state connectivity in aging: Links to perfusion and memory. Cerebral Cortex, 26 (10), 3953-3963.
Salami, A., Pudas, S., Nyberg, L., (2014). Elevated hippocampal resting-state connectivity underlies deficient neurocognitive function in aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), 111(49), 654-659.