Dr Belleville contributes to the developement and understandin of cognitive training for older adults and persons at risk of dementia and on the prevention of age-related cognitive decline. She identifies processes of compensation and plasticity in mild cognitive impairment using brain imaging techniques. She also developed an important research program on the neuropsychology of memory in aging and dementia and has contributed to a better understanding of the neuropsychological deficits found in persons with very early signs of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. She created and leads the CIMAQ, a cohort of well-characterized older adults with suspected prodromal Alzheimer’s disease.

My research program is aimed at better understanding the nature of cognitive decline in different neurodegenerative diseases of the brain, as well as the brain changes that are associated with this decline. I have a specific expertise in Alzheimer's disease and atypical forms of dementia (primary progressive aphasias, posterior cortical atrophy, frontotemporal dementia). I am also interested in cognitive decline in individuals with Mild cognitive impairment (MCI). I also have a particular interest in cognitive changes in normal aging and how they are modulated beta-amyloid burden, vascular burden, and cognitive reserve.

More specifically, here are some of my research topics :

• Lexical and semantic disorders in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia (sv-PPA)
• Face recognition disorders in dementias and in acquired neurological disorders
• Brain changes associated with normal and pathological aging and how they are related to cognitive decline using different neuroimaging methods (PIB-PET, MRI, MEG)
• Cognitive intervention in older persons presenting with memory deficits