Enhancing language learning in ageing with exercise

Brief bio: Dr Marie-Pier McSween is a post-doctoral research fellow at The University of Queensland School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Marie’s research interests lie in investigating approaches to promote language learning. Her current work includes behavioural and neuroimaging studies investigating the effects of acute exercise, white noise and Levodopa on new word learning performance in healthy young and older adults.

Presentation overview: There is increasing evidence that acute exercise can benefit new word learning. Several factors such as baseline learning abilities, exercise intensity and timing, have been identified as playing a role in the acute effects of exercise on new word learning. However, this has been mostly studied in healthy young adults and is yet to be comprehensively examined in healthy older adults.

This talk aims to discuss a series of studies using a single bout of exercise to benefit new word learning in healthy older adults. Findings from this body of work suggest selective benefits of acute exercise on new word learning performance in healthy older adults. This work shows the impact of individual baseline learning abilities, exercise intensity and timing on word learning success and identifies the need to further explore potential underlying mechanisms to better understand when and how acute exercise may influence cognition in ageing.

Zoom link: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/129947296