How our emotion affects cognition: From neuroscience, lifespan and psychendocrinological perspectives

There is no doubt that emotion and stress affect human cognitive processing, such as memory, attention and decision making. However, the exact effects of emotion on cognition are still unclear as emotion sometimes enhances cognitive processing but sometimes impairs cognitive processing. In addition, the effects of emotion appear different a) across the adult lifespan and b) depending on one’s hormonal states, such as hormonal fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone due to the menstrual cycle, the adolescent transition, the menopausal transition and birth controls. This project will use multiple methods, including behavioural, psychophysiological, hormonal and brain imaging techniques (such as functional and structural MRI) and examine how emotion and stress affect human cognitive processing. Depending on students’ interests, the project will include examination of the effects of hormones and/or ageing and further explore whether and how emotion-cognition interaction affects one’s well being, psychopathological issues and cognitive preservation.