Workspace
Real-world Participation
Real-world participation (RWP) comprises fundamental human activities such as engaging in societal activities, roaming through novel places and experiencing stimulation by cultural activities and at work. Since preserving RWP is key for maintaining cognitive vitality across the lifespan, this workspace will characterise how neurocognitive circuits involved in cognitive, sensorimotor and emotional processing affect - and are affected by - activities of real-world participation.
Bridging the gap between fundamental neurocognitive circuits and real-world behavior will yield important insights on how we can preserve functional independence and cognitive vitality in everyday life.
Vestibular perception begins to decline at the age of 40, and vertigo and dizziness, resulting from vestibular dysfunction, are among the most common complaints in humans over 60. Vestibular dysfunction in aging adults is further associated with a higher risk of falls, lower quality of life and a decrease in cognitive function. In this project, we will determine how theoretically motivated Extended Reality (XR) can be used to counteract age-re...
Hearing loss is a major risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. Given that there is an overlap in the neural cognitive circuits involved in episodic memory and auditory pattern analysis critical to hearing, we hypothesize that the effects of hearing loss and the parallel accumulation of Alzheimer's pathology might accelerate cognitive decline. In addition, hearing loss is associated with social isolation, which in itself can lead to fu...
Maintaining postural control is an automated but highly demanding task for the brain that requires the integration of various sensory information and predictive motor processing. In addition, postural deficits limit real-world participation, which can be seen, for example, in the limitations of patients with vestibular symptoms. Therefore, postural deficits can have a negative impact on cognition, either directly through reduced demands on the...
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