Dr. Mayer’s research primarily focuses on using multimodal neuroimaging and other biomarkers to systematically examine the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury in Veterans, civilian adults, children, and preclinical models. His lab was one of the first to serially assess the natural course of recovery following mild traumatic brain injury from the sub-acute to chronic phase for biomarkers of diffusion, cerebral vascular reactivity and functional connectivity (March 2016 issue of The Economist). He has also examined the impact of repetitive head injuries in mixed martial artists and collegiate athletes. Dr. Mayer currently has two large grants from the National Institutes of Health to examine how concussion affects youth up to one year post-injury. More recently, Dr. Mayer has teamed up with several other investigators to examine how neuromodulation may reverse some of the neurobehavioral and pathophysiological deficits following head injury in Veterans through funding from the Department of Defense.

Dr. Mayer has a longstanding interest in understanding the attentional architecture of the brain across a number of other neuropsychiatric conditions (psychotic spectrum disorders and substance abuse), especially for the processing of multisensory information. He also works on the development and application of cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques, such as multi-modal data fusion techniques and advanced modeling of the hemodynamic response function. As director of the 3T Core, Dr. Mayer works with other investigators to ensure that MRN’s state-of-the-art resources are available to support cutting edge research here in New Mexico.