Description

It is time again to shine a Spotlight on some fantastic research that is happening, and this time, it is Professor Trevor Crawford’s exciting research. He is a Professor of Neuroscience and Aging and has been at the University for almost 30 years undertaking ground-breaking research.

Trevor’s interest is in exploring how the brain controls voluntary actions and cognition through our lifespans. He specifically looks at the cognitive “software” in two main brain networks that control our attention, these include the working memory and inhibitory control (how you control your impulses and action), in both healthy and diseased states. This approach allows him to investigate the dynamic relationship between top-down and bottom-up control systems. Top-down cognitive control is when your certain parts of your brain take charge to plan, and make decisions. It helps you resist distractions, control impulses, and stay on task by using goals and logic rather than just reacting automatically. Bottom-upcontrol in the brain is when your thoughts and actions are driven by external stimuli or automatic reactions rather than conscious decision-making. It's like your brain reacting instinctively to sights, sounds, or emotions without much deliberate thought—such as jumping at a loud noise or feeling hungry when you smell food.

Trevor studies how these processes change due to natural aging and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia. He brings together psychological assessments (including visual illusions) with advanced neurophysiological techniques. These include eye-tracking paradigms, EEGs that measure electrical activity in the brain, and fNIRS which are a technique that uses light to measure brain activity. Through use of these, his aim is to gain a precise understanding of brain function and control mechanisms.

Trevor does a significant amount of work collaborating inside and outside the University. Alongside Dr. Megan Readman and Professor Chris Plack at Lancaster University, Trevor has recently completed a major project assessing how hearing loss may increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life. With the University of Oxford, he is working with Professor Antoniades and Melissa Gibbs on a large longitudinal study on Parkinson’s disease, exploring how cognitive processes influence changes in action control in individuals with the disorder. Together with Professor Carol Holland and Dan Shan, Trevor is also investigating the effects of long COVID on dementia risk in older adults in both the UK and China.

In collaboration with Professor Aneta Stefanovska, Dr. Juliane Bjerkan from the Physics department, and international colleagues, they have discovered significant changes in the synchronisation of different pathways in the brains of older adults and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. This is a crucial finding, as a steady supply of nutrients and energy is vital for maintaining brain health. Their method involves simultaneous recordings of the brain’s electrical activity and oxygenation using electrical and optical scalp probes, while an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors heart rate and a chest-worn belt tracks breathing.

Trevor is well-known internationally for his work, hence the sheer scale of research he is undertaking with a wide range of partners. His research is regularly covered by national media, and he is most proud of having his research highlighted on the front pages of a national newspaper. He enjoys working in the Faculty as it is highly collegiate. He is particulary happy about working with talented researchers from various disciplines across both Science and Technology, and the university.

It is very interresting to hear that in his spare time, Trevor is a keen football fan and a devoted supporter of his hometown team, Leeds United, who play at Elland Road. One of his most unforgettable experiences was taking part in a schoolboy penalty competition in front of approximately 35,000 fans at Elland Road! He even managed to score against the Leeds United goalkeeper and remembers that the roar of the crowd afterward was absolutely terrifying! Recalling an older memory sounds entirely for appropriate for a researcher whose research is tied up in memory, and what a wonderful one to share.

Here's a link to a recent article about  Trevor’s latest  research with Professor Aneta Stefanovska, and Dr. Juliane Bjerkan on developments in detecting Alzheimers Disease - https://portal.lancaster.ac.uk/intranet/news/article/a-new-approach-to-detecting-alzheimers-disease