Strathclyde Ageing Network

1. Strathclyde Ageing Network
Strathclyde’s Research into Ageing
Dr Louise A. Brown
School of Psychological Sciences & Health
Director of SAN
@LBrownStrath @StrathAgeing

2. Population ageing
(UN, 2012)
• UN (2012): proportion of older adults set to double by 2050
• Global population ageing challenges society to celebrate older
age, and to ensure health & wellbeing in older age

4. Strathclyde Ageing Network
(SAN)
• A University-wide, multidisciplinary research group
• Established in 2015 within Psychological Sciences & Health
• Now over 40 members from all four faculties & professional
services
• Regular meetings and networking activities
Enhancing Strathclyde's ageing research & knowledge exchange

5. How often do you…

6. Working memory and ageing
(Park et al., 2002)
• Crystallised abilities, like
vocabulary and wisdom, well
maintained, and mostly
continue to increase
- Many factors change
positively into older age
• Fluid skills, like working
memory, very age-sensitive
(e.g., Brown, 2016; Brown et
al., 2012)

7. Associative memory ('binding')
“Louise”
• Associative hypothesis (Naveh-Benjamin, 2000)
• Related to visual interference (Brown et al., 2017)

8. Dr William McGeown (PSH)
Statistical modelling
Neuropsychological
assessment
Electrophysiological
methods
Blood-based analytics
Genetics
Techniques to assess brain
structure and function
• Development of methods for early and accurate diagnosis of
dementias
• Understanding relationships between brain dysfunction and symptoms
(e.g., memory, language, delusions, sleep disorder)

10. • Active group investigating communication disorders and
related problems, such as:
• Changes in language production in Parkinson’s Disease, such
as word retrieval and sentence formation
- are these linguistic or cognitive in nature?
• Dementia can result in mealtime and swallowing difficulties
- investigating the practices and perspectives of SLTs,
caregivers, and other professionals to develop appropriate
management
Speech & Language Therapy

11. Multidisciplinary research groups
• Dementia Research Network
- across all four faculties and collaborating with external partners
• Stroke Research Group
- multidisciplinary research projects (e.g., psychology,
bioengineering, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy)
• Digital Health & Wellness Group
- based in Computer and Information Sciences

12. Dementia Research Network
• Health, wellbeing and care
- Digital technologies, medical devices, smart-home
technology, care, health policy, quality of life, etc.
- Supporting workplace information needs of people
living with early stage/early onset dementia
• Neuroscience (molecule to mind)
- Early detection and differential diagnosis,
neuroprotection, genetics, drug development,
natural (non-pharmacological) interventions, etc.
Contact: william.mcgeown@strath.ac.uk

13. Research group organiser: Luke Meneilly
(luke.meneilly@strath.ac.uk)
Stroke Research Group
• Examining post-stroke adaptation
• Motor control in ageing and stroke
• Community cycling exercise for stroke survivors
• Combined walking and cognitive exercise rehabilitation for
stroke survivors

14. • A range of projects co-designing usable and accessible
technologies and interactive systems and content for older
adults
- e.g. technologies to support stroke rehabilitation, and capturing
and assessing needs of people with dementia and their carers
- several projects investigating how to deploy and evaluate
smarthome and telecare/telehealth to increase older adult
independence in Scotland
For more info. contact Dr Marilyn Lennon:
marilyn.lennon@strath.ac.uk
Digital Health & Wellness Group

15. Keeping engaged in society
• Just 2 hours per week of volunteering is
positively related to health & wellbeing, and
living longer (Luoh & Herzog, 2002)
• Professor Alan Wilson (Business School) is
investigating post-retirement volunteer
expectations in UK and Japan, and the
satisfaction and value they associate with their
roles
• Plus, exciting intergenerational projects based
in Psychology and the Centre for Lifelong
Learning!

16. Thank you 
l.brown@strath.ac.uk
@LBrownStrath @StrathAgeing