Neuroscientists at the University of Glasgow are looking for volunteers to help them in a project looking at the effects of ageing on the brain.

The team from the Institute of Neurosciences and Psychology are looking for men and women aged 55 and over to take part in the study that involves identifying emotional states from facial expressions.

Volunteers will be asked to look at a variety of animated three-dimensional faces displaying different expressions and identify the emotions being conveyed.

Participants will be compensated for their time, which will involve a total of around ten one hour session, with a payment of around £60.

A smaller batch of volunteers will have their brain activity monitored by a magnetoencephalography (MEG) machine during the task, which will be carried out over three two-hour sessions.

The research team, comprising Prof Philippe Schyns, Dr Guillaume Rousselet and Dr Nicola van Rijsbergen is being funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Dr van Rijsbergen, a Research Associate in the Institute, said: “This is a study looking at how the brain reorganises itself as it gets older and compensates for the effects of aging.

“We are looking at facial expressions because there are special areas of the brain which are specifically involved in face recognition, but these areas are subject to attrition as we grow older.

“By understanding what changes in these specialist brain areas, we can perhaps help overcome the challenges caused by these changes.”

Anyone interested in participating in the study can contact fab4d@psy.gla.ac.uk or call 0141 300 5047 between 2-4pm.

 

For more information contact Stuart Forsyth in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 4831 or email stuart.forsyth@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 12 June 2013

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