PhD Research Project: Sex differences in healthy aging and dementia: a study of cognition and commu

This studentship will support an investigation of differences in cognitive and communicative aging in healthy men and women. The project is based on research into sex differences in healthy cognitive organisation (Cowell et al., 2011) and aging of brain and behaviour in humans (Cowell et al., 2007). It is also shaped by the need to better understand differences in the prevalence and risk for dementia in men and women (Matthews et al., 2016). Recent findings from our research group showed organisational differences in verbal cognition in women in relation to age and hormone status (i.e., menopause) (Maitreyee et al., 2015). The studentship will support further work into the speech, language and related cognition of healthy men and women across the adult life span. It will enable development of cognitive tools to probe the basis of sex differences in dementia and support pilot work in this area. The project is suitable for applicants with a strong background in psychology, cognitive neuroscience or any related behavioural/biomedical sciences. Experience testing human research volunteers and conducting statistical are desirable.

Cowell, P.E., Sluming, V.A., Wilkinson, I.D., Cezayirli, E., Romanowski, C.A.J., Webb, J.A., Keller, S.S., Mayes, A., and Roberts, N. 2007. Effects of sex and age on regional prefrontal brain volume in two human cohorts, European Journal of Neuroscience, 25(1):307-318.

Cowell, P.E., Ledger, W.L., Wadnerkar, M.B., Skilling, F.M., and Whiteside, S.P. 2011. Hormones and dichotic listening: Evidence from the study of menstrual cycle effects. Brain and Cognition, 76:256-262.

Maitreyee, R., Varley, R., Whiteside, S. and Cowell, P. 2015. The effects of age and menopause on verbal fluency. Maturitas, 81:216-217.

Matthews, F.E., Stephan, B.C.M., Jagger, C., Arthur, A. and Brayne, C. (2016) A two decade dementia incidence comparison from the Cognitive Function and Aging Studies I and II. Nature Communications, 7:11398.

How to apply

Please apply through our online postgraduate application system including the Scholarship section where you need to tick the ’University Scholarships’ box. The form will ask you to summarise your research proposal in less than 800 words. If you are unsure about what to put in this section, please contact your prospective supervisor. Please name your supervisor and select their department Human Communication Sciences through the online form.

Entry Requirements

Candidates must have a first or upper second class honors degree or significant research experience. The project is suitable for applicants with a strong background in psychology, cognitive neuroscience or any related behavioural/biomedical sciences. Experience testing human research volunteers and conducting statistical are desirable.

Funding Notes

Funding

The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Doctoral Academy Scholarships cover Home/EU fee and RCUK rate stipend for three years. Overseas students may apply but will need to fund the difference between the Home and Overseas fee from another source.

Proposed start date: October 2017