Research Agenda
Current aging research focuses on physical and cognitive functions and psychopathology common in the elderly. Largely ignored is negative age-related change in socioemotional capacities that can adversely affect health. Adopting pharmacological, neurofeedback, and applied interventional approaches, my research targets this understudied field to determine factors that contribute to, and neurobiology that underlies, successful socioemotional aging.
The lab’s research program addresses four research questions:
(1) What are cognitive mechanisms underlying processing biases for socioemotional information in aging?
Face memory deficits increase with age but are less pronounced for own-age faces. Our work extends this own-age bias to attentional processes and emotional faces and supports amygdala as key structure. The lab currently examines the role of facial features (attractiveness, trustworthiness) on this bias and identify conditions under which older adults show less of a memory deficit.
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(2) Is oxytocin associated with improved socioemotional functioning in aging?
The neuropeptide Oxytocin benefits socioemotional functioning. Currently, it has almost exclusively been studied in young adults, clinical disorders, and preclinically. We have established a line of investigation on oxytocin in human aging and have significantly contributed theoretically and empirically, demonstrating that oxytocin intervention particularly benefits older men. As a crucial milestone, we have implemented compounding of an FDA-approved oxytocin nasal spray, making UF a unique oxytocin research site. We plan to determine clinical potential of intranasal oxytocin towards functional improvement in healthy aging and in age-related affective disorders. In 2018, we received an NIA R01 to study mechanisms of oxytocin’s pain-reducing effects in aging.
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(3) Can neurofeedback training promote socioemotional functioning in aging?
The lab’s previous work showed age-related deficits in reading others’ emotions and emotion regulation, crucial capacities for leading an emotionally fulfilling life. Directly following up on this work, we received an NIA R21 to use neurofeedback training via real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) and are now among the first groups to have established feasibility of this approach in aging. The lab currently continues this research with an analysis of rtfMRI-neurofeedback effects on brain plasticity and behavioral enhancement in Parkinson’s Disease.
(4) Can older adults’ decision-making capacities be improved to benefit health and avoid cyberattacks?
This line of work identifies age differences in socioemotional influences on decision making in health and cyberspace. For example, we showed that older adults were particularly susceptible to web-based cyberattacks and exhibited little awareness to online risks. Further, we examined brain and behavioral risk profiles in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Using this information, we hope to develop an open-source warning tool to reduce the significant risk of online fraud among older individuals.
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Our lab pursues the long-term goal of developing viable treatments towards functional improvement in the elderly. Our work is important from a developmental perspective, qualifies general theories of memory and decision making, and has practical implications for social interactions and health in aging.