Emerging evidence from social neuroscience suggests that prefrontal cortex (PFC), insular and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) regulate social and emotional responses to acute threats to social connectedness among young adults. Reduced neural reserve and/or excessive neural compensation resulting from neurodegeneration is commonly observed in these frontal regions in aging. This aging-related "neural depletion" may have implications for how older adults respond to social threats, potentially increasing maladaptive emotional and social behavioral responses, such as social anxiety and social avoidance, which contribute to social disconnection.

 

One area of research our lab focuses on is the effects of computerized cognitive training on social well-being in older adults. We have recently developed a neuroplasticity-based cognitive training program called vision-based speed of processing (VSOP) training, which targets multiple aspects of cognitive capacity (e.g., attention, working memory, and inhibition) and incorporates the speed component to improve the efficiency of these cognitive processes. VSOP training also targets several neural networks seeded in ACC and insular (default mode network) or PFC (the frontal-striatal and central executive networks), which overlap with neural substrates of emotion regulation. Notably, VSOP training appears to improve emotion regulation, as depressive symptoms have been reduced in older adults following VSOP training.