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A lot of neuroimaging research is aimed at understanding the effects on the brain of psychopathology (schizophrenia, depression) in the young and neuropathology (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease) in the old. The outcome of this emphasis on illness is that the effects of normal ageing across the adult lifespan are not well understood, especially the effects in middle age. 

Mark will illustrate how brain volumes change in middle age and older age adults as part of normal ageing. Mark will focus on the hippocampus, an important brain structure that is sensitive to the effects of illness, genetics, environment, and the activities of daily life. 

Mark will then explore the differences in the ageing trajectories of males and females and the long term effects of changes in physical activity on the hippocampal volumes of a randomly selected sample of community-living adults from the Canberra and Queanbeyan region. 

About Mark

Mark is a PhD candidate with the Neuroimaging & Brain Lab at the Centre for Research on Ageing Health & Wellbeing (CRAHW), Research School of Population Health, ANU. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Hons) in 2012 at the ANU. Mark’s professional background was Information Technology where he worked for 30 years in a range of technical and management roles in the ACT and Federal government.