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10 people are interested
USC Memory and Brain Health Research Study
ORGANIZATION: University of Southern California, Emotion and Cognition Lab
Please visit the new page to apply.
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10 people are interested
Visit https://gero.usc.edu/healthyminds/uscheartbeam/ to learn more and sign up!
We are USC researchers studying how the brain and heart connect to well-being as we age. The main purpose of this study is to examine whether people can modulate their own physiology in ways that enhance brain plasticity and new learning. Throughout each day, our heart rate changes so that our bodies and brain can meet current demands. When we need to take action, one part of our nervous system helps to energize us. When we want to relax, another part of our nervous system helps us calm down. Both of these systems show significant declines in aging. In this study, we will train you in a paced breathing technique that promotes one of these two systems and test how this influences how quickly your brain adapts to new skills. You will be asked to do both paced breathing and brain game training every day.
Participants will join a 12-week brain training program to complete from home and only need to visit the lab five times (at the beginning, midpoint, and end of study) to complete brain assessments using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG), cognitive tasks and surveys, and provide blood and urine samples.
We are looking for healthy adults who are 50-70 years old, who don’t have cognitive impairment, who don’t regularly practice more than an hour per week of any relaxation techniques (e.g., meditation), who have a home computer with a physical keyboard and have access to reliable internet, and who can complete MRI brain scans (i.e. do not have any metal in their bodies).
Visit https://gero.usc.edu/healthyminds/uscheartbeam/ to learn more and sign up!
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About University of Southern California, Emotion and Cognition Lab
Location:
3715 McClintock Ave., RM: 341, LA, CA 90089, US
Mission Statement
The Healthy Minds Volunteers help research labs at the University of Southern California. These labs are working towards a greater understanding of how aging can affect physical, mental and emotional health. The goal is to learn how we can maintain healthy minds and bodies across our lifespan.
Description
The environment at USC is an outstanding one for researchers with interests in cognitive neuroscience, emotion, decision making and aging. The USC Davis School of Gerontology is the oldest and largest school of gerontology in the world and has long been a leader in the field, with its multidisciplinary faculty doing research in neuroscience, molecular biology, psychology, sociology, demography and public policy. The Psychology Department and the Neuroscience Program have outstanding faculty in cognitive and affective neuroscience. There are also faculty members and other researchers with related interests in other schools and departments across campus, such as at the law, business and medical schools.
CAUSE AREAS
WHEN
WHERE
University of Southern California3715 McClintock AveLos Angeles, CA 90089
DATE POSTED
June 20, 2023
SKILLS
GOOD FOR
- People 55+
REQUIREMENTS
- Must be at least 50
- Must complete up to an hour daily of home assignments, consisting of cognitive assessments, surveys, brain games, and/or paced breathing training exercises.
- Must attend 5 in-person lab visits at the USC University Park Campus over the course of 12 weeks.