Research/Areas of Interest
Age-related behavioral (cognition and motor performance) and neurochemical changes and nutritional treatments
Education
- PhD, Experimental Psychology, Boston University
Biography
Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD, is a USDA-ARS Research Psychologist in the Diet & Aging Brain, Sensory Systems directive at the HNRCA. She has been involved in research for over 40 years and has published more than 260 articles and selected papers.
Dr. Shukitt-Hale investigates motor and cognitive performance changes due to oxidative stress and inflammation and the possible amelioration of these effects with proper nutrition. She has developed and utilized behavioral techniques to examine the motor and cognitive performance changes due to oxidative stress and inflammation during aging and under other oxidative stress/inflammatory conditions (such as radiation), in conjunction with changes in cellular function and signal transduction. She then uses these models to examine the effects of different polyphenolic-rich diets on these age-related behavioral parameters as well as changes in brain function. Notably, Dr. Shukitt-Hale has shown that phenolic compounds have beneficial effects on the brain, and, using cell and animal models, has examined the mechanisms behind these improvements. She has shown the polyphenolic compounds may have direct effects on the brain, including enhanced signaling, autophagy, and neurogenesis and attenuation of microglial activations. Dr. Shukitt-Hale has shown that different fruit and vegetable extracts, (i.e., strawberry, spinach, and blueberry) high in antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activity can prevent and even reverse age-related changes in brain performance. Recently, she has focused on translating these results to humans through the use of clinical trials.
Dr. Shukitt-Hale serves as an affiliate faculty member in the Psychology Department and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and serves as a board member and former secretary of the American Aging Association. She is also on the editorial boards of numerous scientific journals.
For more information on Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, please visit the USDA Agricultural Research Service website.