Lauren Raine, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor (Bouvé)
Program: PTMRS, DMS, Center for Cognitive and Brain Health
Lab/Research Center Affiliation: Interdisciplinary Health, Body Composition, and Neuroscience Lab within the Center for Cognitive and Brain Health
Description of Subject Interest and Expertise: My research interest is in the public health implications of cognition and brain health; specifically, the investigation of physical activity, fitness, and (excess) body mass on brain health and cognition in children. I have examined these relationships using behavioral and neuroimaging measures to study the influence of acute and chronic physical activity on cognition. I am also interested in the relationship between body composition and cognition, as the obesity epidemic continues to spread in children. I hope to gain a better understanding of the relationship between body composition and cognitive health that will lead to increased public health awareness about the inactivity levels of children and the vast health problems associated with these behaviors.
Description of Current Project/Scholarly Endeavor:
- BEaNS-EL: Body composition, EEG, And NnS in Early Life: Does NNS during infancy relate to neural activity (measured by EEG) and body composition (measures of fat and fat free mass) at 12 and 24 months; and are neural activity and body composition related in early life? The study involves an interdisciplinary team with expertise in infant development, cognition, EEG, OB, and body composition. Guardians of infants between birth and 24 months of age will be asked to attend a visit lasting ~ hour with their child. Visits will take place in the Center for Cognitive and Brain Health. During the visit, children will complete body composition and EEG assessments.
- Body Composition, Fitness, and Cognition (BCC): This experiment investigates how physiological markers of cardiorespiratory health may be related to cognition and mental health by assessing: (1) answers on standardized questionnaires, (2) computerized task performance, (3) body composition, (4) oxygen utilization during maximal exercise. Participants will come in on one occasion to fill out questionnaires, complete cognitive tasks, undergo a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan and BOD POD assessment, and perform a maximal exercise assessment. Participants must be 18-30 years old, be fluent in English, have normal (or corrected to normal) vision without colorblindness, and be free of physical/mental ailments that would prevent their ability to exercise or complete computer-based tasks.
Email: l.raine@northeastern.edu