2025 Schmitt Russell Research Lecture

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“Measuring a Moving Target: Cognition-on-the-go and the new science of brain health"

Sliwinski’s lecture will explore new methods for capturing cognitive health as it unfolds in the rhythms, contexts, and challenges of daily life. This work builds on a tradition of research at Penn State and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies that has helped shift research in the field of aging from using static analysis models to understanding development as a dynamic, unfolding process.

Sliwinski will discuss how using modern tools to study brain health allows researchers to understand cognition in real time. While traditional tests were designed to detect impairment, Sliwinski’s research emphasizes measuring change and capturing how cognition fluctuates and adapts in response to everyday experiences.

The results of Sliwinski’s research will ultimately allow healthcare providers to detect early cognitive changes before they become clinically visible, as well as help promote brain health and prevent advancing dementia by identifying early, actionable signals of cognitive change that can inform targeted interventions across the lifespan.