Madeline Ally

I am a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate with a minor in Neuropsychology. My research examines how modifiable lifestyle and vascular factors influence brain aging and dementia risk, with the goal of improving early detection and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Under the mentorship of Dr. Gene Alexander, I integrate neuroimaging, blood-based biomarkers, and neuropsychological measures to investigate these relationships. Clinically, I have trained in neuropsychological assessment and psychotherapy with adults and older adults across university, private practice, and VA settings.

Research Interests: 

• Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and trajectories of brain aging
• Cerebrovascular contributions to cognitive functioning and dementia
• Neuroimaging and blood-based biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease
• Scalable, accessible approaches for identifying and reducing dementia risk

Selected Publications: 

• Ally, M., Aslan, D.H., Sayre, M.K., Bharadwaj, P.K., Maltagliati, S., Grilli, M.D., Lai, M.H.C., Wilcox,
  R.R., Klimentidis, Y.C., Raichlen, D.A., Alexander, G.E. (2026). Associations of sleep behaviors with white matter hyperintensity volume in middle-aged to older adults. Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
  https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71457 
• Ally, M.*, Sugarman, M.A.*, Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., Ashton, N.J., Karikari, T.K., Aparicio, H., Frank, B.F., Tripodis, Y., Stein, T.D., Martin, B., Palmisano, J.N., Steinberg, E.G., Simkin, I., Farrer, L., Jun, G., Turk, K.W., Budson, A.E., O’Connor, M.K., Au, R., Goldstein, L.E., Kowall, N.W., Killiany, R., Stern, R.A., McKee, A.C., Qiu, W.Q., Mez, J., Alosco, M.L. (2023). Cross-sectional and longitudinal evaluation of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein to detect and predict clinical syndromes of
  Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12492.
• Frank, B., Ally, M., Tripodis, Y., Puzo, C., Labriola, C., Hurley, L., Martin, B., Palmisano, J.N., Chan, L., Steinberg, E.G., Turk, K., Budson, A.E., O’Connor, M.K., Au, R., Qiu, W.Q., Goldstein, L.E., Kukull, W., Kowall, N.W., Killiany, R., Stern, R.A., Stein, T.D., McKee, A.C., Mez, J., Alosco, M.L. (2022). Trajectories of cognitive decline in brain donors with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200304. 

Selected Presentations: 

• Ally, M., Bharadwaj, P.K., Schade, R.N., O’Shea, A., Rayaprolu, S., Rodriguez, K., Gertler, J., Nelson, I., Katta, S., Huo, Z., Habeck, C.G., DeKosky, S.T., Woods, A.J., Bowers, D., Alexander, G.E. (2026, July). Association of plasma p-tau217-white matter hyperintensity network pattern with memory in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia. Poster presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, London, England.
• Ally, M., Aslan, D.H., Sayre, M.K., Bharadwaj, P.K., Maltagliati, S., Grilli, M.D., Lai, M.H.C., Wilcox, R.R., Klimentidis, Y.C., Raichlen, D.A., Alexander, G.E. (2024, September). Association of sleep behaviors with cerebral white matter hyperintensity volume in healthy middle-aged to older adults. Paper and poster presented at the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium Scientific Conference, Tempe, AZ, United States.

Master's Project: 

• Association of sleep behaviors with white matter lesion load in middle-aged to older adults (2024)

Courses Taught:

TA for:

• PSY 150 – The Structure of Mind and Behaviors (2022)
• PSY 230 – Psychological Measurement and Statistics (2023)
• PSY 384 – Positive Psychology (2026)

*Year listed indicates when this individual last worked in the specified course.

Updated: 09/30/26