Stockton College Seeks Volunteers for Brain Health Research Project

The Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) is currently seeking volunteers to participate in a research project on the campus of The Richard Stockton College at 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway. This research is designed to explore the relationship between activity in the brain and thinking and memory.

The research project, “Healthy Brain, Healthy Mind,” is being directed by Dr. Jessica Fleck, associate professor of Psychology.  Dr. Fleck has been a member of the Psychology Program at Stockton College since 2006 and was recently selected as a SCOSA Research Fellow for the 2012-2013 academic year. In addition to researching brain health throughout the lifespan, Dr. Fleck is also an active researcher of creativity and the creative brain.  

While being screened for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, skin cancers and other conditions is common for older adults, very few individuals have ever participated in a screening of brain health and function. The National Institute on Aging suggests that changes in the physical brain may occur a decade or more before changes in memory and thinking are observed. If so, early detection of changes in the physical brain is key to long-term health and vitality. The study is comprised of two sessions, each between an hour and an hour-and-a-half in duration. Dr. Fleck is looking for healthy participants who are between 45-64 years of age.

For this project, participants must be right-handed and have no prior diagnosis of dementia, neurological disorder, or traumatic brain injury. The project involves the use of EEG, which measures electrical activity in the brain. Tests of memory and thinking will also be administered in a second session. Participants who score outside the normal range will be provided referrals for further neurological assessment.