Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Boston College
Dept. of Psych. & Neurosci.
About Me
My name is Natalia (she/her) and I am a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Maureen Ritchey's Memory Modulation Lab at Boston College. My current work is on the cognitive neuroscience of episodic memory , with a focus on functional brain networks that support the quality of memory representations.My research is supported by an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship, leveraging functional imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), eyetracking, and computer-based virtual reality to explore questions related to memory representations in the human brain across the lifespan.I completed my PhD in Psychology in Dr. Morgan Barense's Memory & Perception Lab at the University of Toronto, where I also completed my M.A. in Psychology. Before joining the lab, I completed a Specialized Bilingual Honours B.A. in Psychology at York University (Glendon College).
Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik, PhD
University of Toronto
Dept. of Psychology
(Cognitive Neuroscience)
Publications
Impaired perceptual discrimination of complex objects in older adults at risk for dementia
Jiang, L., Robin, J., Shing, N., Mazloum‐Farzaghi, N., Ladyka‐Wojcik, N., Balakumar, N., ... & Olsen, R. K. (2024). Hippocampus, 34(4), 197-203. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23598
Sleep differentially and profoundly impairs recall memory in a patient with fornix damage
Matorina, N., Tseng, J., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Olsen, R. K., Mabbott, D. J., & Barense M. D. (2023). Recollection and prior knowledge recruit the left angular gyrus during recognition. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 35(10), 1635-1655. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocna02038
Recollection and prior knowledge recruit the left angular gyrus during recognition
Bellana, B., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Lahan, S., Moscovitch, M., & Grady, C. L. (2023). Recollection and prior knowledge recruit the left angular gyrus during recognition. Brain Structure and Function, 228, 197-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02597-5
Unrestricted eye movements strengthen causal connectivity from hippocampal to oculomotor regions during scene construction
Ladyka-Wojcik, N.*, Liu, Z.-X.*, & Ryan, J. D. (2021). Unrestricted eye movements strengthen causal connectivity from hippocampal to oculomotor regions during scene construction. BioRxiv, 2021.09.23.461606. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.23.461606
*co-first authorship
The influence of cerebrovascular pathology on cluster analysis of neuropsychological scores in patients with mild cognitive impairment
Romero, K.*, Ladyka-Wojcik, N.*, Heir, A., Bellana, B., Leach, L., & Proulx, G. B. (2022). The association between visual discrimination and cognitive decline prior to clinical diagnosis. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 37(7), 1480-1492. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acac043
*co-first authorship
The association between visual discrimination and cognitive decline prior to clinical diagnosis
Jiang, L., Shing, N., Robin, J., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Choi, A., Ryan, J.D., Barense, M.D., Olsen, R.K. (2021). The association between visual discrimination and cognitive decline prior to clinical diagnosis. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 17(S6), e057335. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.057335
Flexible use of spatial frames of reference for object-location memory in older adults
Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Olsen, R.K., Ryan, J.D., & Barense, M.D. (2021). Flexible Use of Spatial Frames of Reference for Object-Location Memory in Older Adults. Brain Sciences, 11(11), 1542. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11111542
The influence of prior knowledge on the formation of detailed and durable memories
Bellana, B., Mansour, R., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Grady, C. L., & Moscovitch, M. (2021). The influence of prior knowledge on the formation of detailed and durable memories. Journal of Memory and Language, 121, 104264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2021.104264
Reframing spatial frames of reference: What can aging tell us about egocentric and allocentric navigation?
Ladyka‐Wojcik, N., & Barense, M. D. (2021). Reframing spatial frames of reference: What can aging tell us about egocentric and allocentric navigation?. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, e1549. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1549
Giving evolution its due in memory systems research
Ladyka-Wojcik, N.*, Bouffard, N.R.*, Barense, M.D., Giving evolution its due in memory systems research (2019). [Invited review of the book Evolution of Memory Systems, by Murray, E., Wise, S., & Graham, K.] Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72(5), 1282-1283S, https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021819832227
*co-first authorship
Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik, PhD
University of Toronto
Dept. of Psychology
(Cognitive Neuroscience)
Conference Posters
2021 Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Liu, Z-X., Ryan, J.D. "Unrestricted eye movements strengthen causal connectivity from the medial temporal lobes to oculomotor regions during scene construction" (50th Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting)2021 Semenak, A., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Barense M. D. “Making spatial mistakes: The influence of learning strategies and congruency on object-location memory across the lifespan” (Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science 2021)2021 Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Semenak, A., Barense, M. D. “Is there an errorless learning advantage for memory of object-location associations in aging?” (28th Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting)2020 Li, A. Y.*, Ladyka-Wojcik, N.*, Silva, V. M., Barense, M. D. “Asymmetry between object-in-place and place-in-object memory: Evidence for a spatial scaffold.” (2020 Context and Episodic Memory Symposium) *Shared first authorship2020 Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Shing, N., Ryan, J. D., Olsen, R. K., Barense M. D. “Where does this go? Memory accuracy for object locations across egocentric and allocentric space in aging.” (27th Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting)2020 Silva, V. M., Ladyka-Wojcik, N.*, Li, A. Y.*, Barense, M. D. “Moving beyond yes and no: Using VR to understand age-related changes in multidimensional experience.” (Lake Ontario Visionary Establishment, Awared 1st place poster out of 72) *Shared authorship2019 Liang, J. C., Olsen, R. K., Shing, N., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Ryan, J. D. “The functional contribution of anterolateral entorhinal cortex to intra-item configural processing.” (Neuroscience 2019, Society for Neuroscience)2019 Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Brunec, I. K., Shing, N., Liang, J., Ryan, J. D., Olsen, R. K., Barense, M. D. “Close, but not quite: Memory precision across spatial frames of reference over the lifespan.” (26th Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting)2018 Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Romero, K., Leach, L., & Proulx, G. “Cognitive variability in aging: The Kaplan-Baycrest Neurocognitive Assessment for evaluating normal aging, optimal Aging, and dementia.” (12th Annual Canadian Neuroscience Meeting)2018 Hmamad, K., Zadra, F., Ladyka-Wojcik, N., Leach, L., & Proulx, G. “Étude de validation de la version francophone du Kaplan Baycrest Neurocognitive Assessment.” (29th International Congress of Applied Psychology)
Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik, PhD
University of Toronto
Dept. of Psychology
(Cognitive Neuroscience)
Teaching Experience
Course Instructor:
PSY201 Introduction to Statistics
Duties: Developed materials for second-year introductory course in statistics for psychology, designed assignments and exams, lectured bi-weekly in-person, supervised team of teaching assistants
Semesters: Summer 2022PSY493 Cognitive Neuroscience
Duties: Developed materials for fourth-year advanced course in cognitive neuroscience, designed assignments and exams, lectured weekly in-person, supervised teaching assistant
Semesters: Fall 2021
Teaching Assistant:
PSY100 Introduction to Psychology
Duties: Grading, exam invigilation, office hours, monitoring discussion board
Semesters: Fall 2021, Winter 2023PSY202 Introduction to Statistics II
Guest Lecture: Repeated-Measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Duties: Tutorial instructor, grading, exam invigilation, office hours
Semesters: Winter 2019, Summer 2019, Summer 2020, Summer 2021PSY240 Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
Guest lecture: Dissociative and Somatic Symptom Disorders
Duties: Exam grading, exam writing, exam invigilation, office hours
Semesters: Fall 2019, Winter 2021PSY260 Learning & Plasticity
Duties: Writing Intensive Teaching (WIT) paper grading, exam grading
Semesters: Fall 2021PSY270 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Guest lectures: (1) Visual Imagery, (2) Everyday Memory and Memory Mistakes
Duties: Writing Intensive Teaching (WIT) paper grading, exam grading, exam invigilation, office hours
Semesters: Fall 2018, Winter 2021, Winter 2023PSY305 The Treatment of Psychological Data
Duties: Grading, exam invigilation, office hours, monitoring discussion board
Semesters: Winter 2022PSY372 Human Memory
Guest lectures: (1) Memory Across the Lifespan, (2) Introduction to Scientific Writing
Duties: Exam & paper grading, office hours
Semesters: Winter 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2022
Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik, PhD
University of Toronto
Dept. of Psychology
(Cognitive Neuroscience)
Awards
Select Grants & Scholarships:
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship
National Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Award Value: $90,000
June 2024 - current
Ontario Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program
Award Value: $15,000
September 2022 - August 2023
NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral
Alexander Graham Bell - National Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Award Value: $105,000
September 2019 - August 2022
NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master
National Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Award Value: $17,500
September 2018 - August 2019
School of Graduate Studies Conference Grant
University of Toronto
Award value: $740
March 2019
R.L. Cohen Graduating Scholarship in Psychology
Glendon College, York University
Award Value: $450
June 2018
LLIR 35th Anniversary Scholarship in Psychology
Glendon College, York University (Living & Learning in Retirement Board of Directors)
Award Value: $450
September 2016 - June 2017
York Alumni Award of Distinction
York University
Award Value: $32,000
September 2014 - June 2018
YUFA Undergraduate Scholarship
York University (York University Faculty Association)
Award Value: $3,500
June 2017
Awards & Distinctions:
Friends of Patrick fMRI Brain Acceleration Award
Toronto Neuroimaging Institute, University of Toronto
Awarded for contributions to fMRI research at the University of Toronto
December 2023 (Awarded for 2022)
First Place Poster (1st of 72)
Lake Ontario Visionary Establishment Conference
Poster: Moving beyond yes and no: Using VR to understand age-related changes in multidimensional experience.
February 2020
Moscovitch Award for Best Contributions to Discussion
Toronto Area Memory Group (TAMeG)
Awarded for outstanding discussion, invited publication at WIREs Cognitive Science
May 2019
Governor General's Silver Medal
York University
Awarded for highest distinction in scholarship at convocation
June 2018