Famous Faces Demand Attention Due to Reduced Inhibitory Processing

People have particular difficulty ignoring distractors that depict faces. This phenomenon has been attributed to the high level of biological significance that faces carry. The current study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which faces gain processing priority. We used a focused attention paradigm that tracks the influence of a distractor over time and provides a measure of inhibitory processing. Upright famous faces served as test stimuli and inverted versions of the faces as well as upright non-face objects served as control stimuli. The results revealed that although all of the stimuli elicited similar levels of distraction, only inverted distractor faces and non-face objects elicited inhibitory effects. The lack of inhibitory effects for upright famous faces provides novel evidence that reduced inhibitory processing underlies the mandatory nature of face processing

Aerobic fitness, physical activity, and brain function in healthy young adults

Mounting evidence indicates that regular engagement in aerobic exercise improves executive functioning and cerebrovascular health in older adulthood. Recent evidence also points toward some similar benefits in young adults, despite presumed ‘optimal’ brain health in that population. The present study sought to clarify which specific cognitive functions are linked to regular exercise in young adults (18-30 years), and to gain insight into the possible mechanisms underlying such links. To this end, the current study examined performance on a wide variety of executive function tasks in relation to aerobic fitness, self-reported habitual physical activity, and cerebrovascular health (as measured by resting cerebral blood flow, which was indexed by blood flow velocity through the middle cerebral artery; and cerebrovascular reactivity to carbon dioxide – the most potent regulatory stimulus of the cerebrovasculature). Multiple regression analyses revealed that more frequent physical activity, but not higher levels of aerobic fitness, predicted better cerebrovascular reactivity and superior inhibitory control over prepotent responses. Cerebrovascular reactivity also predicted better inhibitory control over prepotent responses. However, there were no observed links between exercise frequency, aerobic fitness, or cerebrovascular health and other executive processes such as selective attention, task switching, and working memory span. Finally, mediation analyses indicated that cerebrovascular reactivity could be an important mechanism through which regular exercise brings about improvements in inhibitory control over prepotent responses. Taken together, these results provide novel insight into the cognitive and cerebrovascular benefits that may be gained with regular exercise in an already high-functioning population

Promoting Healthy Brain Ageing: Potential Benefits of Physical Activity and Volunteering

Cognitive decline, especially for those higher-order functions that allow us to do things like focus our attention, solve problems, hold information in mind, and inhibit unwanted actions, is a normal part of ageing. However, for individuals, cognitive decline represents the possibility of losing their usual competence and independence. For governments and our wider society, the prospective burden of cognitive decline associated with an ageing population represents a significant future cost for health and social services. Thus, researchers have sought accessible interventions that might help to slow age-related cognitive decline. Some of that work has pointed to activity engagement (including social, cognitive, and physical activity) as an important factor. Through three studies and a review chapter, this thesis investigates the links between higher-order cognitive functioning and two activity types: 1) physical activity and 2) volunteering in the community, which often encompasses a combination of social, cognitive, and physical activity. Each chapter has been prepared as its own journal article, and readers should refer to the published versions of each article rather than this thesis. Chapter 2, which is titled "Investigating links between habitual physical activity, cerebrovascular function, and cognitive control in healthy older adults" and published in Neuropsychologia, addresses the need to better understand the mechanisms through which physical activity might benefit cognition by investigating the role of cerebrovascular functioning. Building on the evidence that physical activity is positively linked to cognitive functioning, Chapter 3 (titled "Physical activity prevalence and correlates among New Zealand older adults" and published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity) examines current physical activity levels among older adults in New Zealand and considers information that might aid the development of population-level initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity in that age group. Chapter 4 (titled "Volunteering in the community: Potential benefits for cognitive aging" and published in the Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences) comprises a review of the evidence to date relating to the potential benefits of volunteering for cognitive functioning in older adulthood. Chapter 5 (titled "Volunteering in the community is associated with activity engagement and better cognitive functioning") reports a study that investigated links between volunteering and cognitive functioning, and whether increased engagement in social, cognitive, and physical activity could be mechanisms through which volunteering might benefit cognition. Together, this work fills some important gaps in understanding the links between activity engagement and cognitive functioning in older adults, and provides information that can be used to guide future research toward accessible ways to promote healthy cognitive ageing

Aerobic fitness, physical activity, and brain function in healthy young adults

Mounting evidence indicates that regular engagement in aerobic exercise improves executive functioning and cerebrovascular health in older adulthood. Recent evidence also points toward some similar benefits in young adults, despite presumed ‘optimal’ brain health in that population. The present study sought to clarify which specific cognitive functions are linked to regular exercise in young adults (18-30 years), and to gain insight into the possible mechanisms underlying such links. To this end, the current study examined performance on a wide variety of executive function tasks in relation to aerobic fitness, self-reported habitual physical activity, and cerebrovascular health (as measured by resting cerebral blood flow, which was indexed by blood flow velocity through the middle cerebral artery; and cerebrovascular reactivity to carbon dioxide – the most potent regulatory stimulus of the cerebrovasculature). Multiple regression analyses revealed that more frequent physical activity, but not higher levels of aerobic fitness, predicted better cerebrovascular reactivity and superior inhibitory control over prepotent responses. Cerebrovascular reactivity also predicted better inhibitory control over prepotent responses. However, there were no observed links between exercise frequency, aerobic fitness, or cerebrovascular health and other executive processes such as selective attention, task switching, and working memory span. Finally, mediation analyses indicated that cerebrovascular reactivity could be an important mechanism through which regular exercise brings about improvements in inhibitory control over prepotent responses. Taken together, these results provide novel insight into the cognitive and cerebrovascular benefits that may be gained with regular exercise in an already high-functioning population

The Dunedin study after half a century:reflections on the past, and course for the future

Over the last 50 years Dunedin Study researchers have published more than 1400 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and reports on many aspects of human health and development. In this 50th anniversary piece we reflect on (i) our historical roots and necessary re-invention through time; (ii) the underpinning principles that have contributed to our success; (iii) some selected examples of high-impact work from the behavioural, oral health, and respiratory domains; (iv) some of the challenges we have encountered over time and how to overcome these; and (vi) review where we see the Study going in the future. We aim to present some of the ‘back story’, which is typically undocumented and oft lost to memory, and thus focus on ‘know-how’. Our hope is to humanise our research, share insights, and to acknowledge the real heroes of the Study – the 1037 Study members, their families and their friends, who have collectively given so much, for so long, in the hope of helping others.</p

For each version (non-face objects, upright faces, and inverted faces), the size of the compatibility effect in milliseconds for each distractor-target SOA.

<p>The compatibility effect equals response latencies on incompatible trials minus response latencies on compatible trials.</p

Mean (<i>M</i>) and Standard Deviation (<i>SD</i>) of the Median Reaction Times (in ms) and Error Rates (<i>%E</i>) for Each Condition.

<p><i>Note</i>. For each stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), the compatibility effect (i.e., incompatible minus compatible) appears in boldface.</p