Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition
For a Special Issue on
In memory of Dr. Denise C. Park
Abstract deadline
Manuscript deadline
Special Issue Editor(s)
Ian McDonough Ph.D.,
Binghamton University
[email protected]
Angela Gutchess Ph.D.,
Brandeis University
Trey Hedden Ph.D.,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Joshua Goh Ph.D.,
National Taiwan University College of Medicine
In memory of Dr. Denise C. Park
We are announcing a call for manuscript submissions for a special issue in Aging, Neuropsychology, & Cognition (ANC) in memory of Dr. Denise C. Park. She published her work in some of the earliest volumes at ANC and had been a long-time consulting editor for the journal. Among her many passions in life, Dr. Park was devoted to exploring the mysteries of the aging mind. Her remarkable intuition and optimism continually pushed the field forward in numerous ways that challenged the traditional belief that memory simply declines with age—a perspective she always felt was incomplete. Dr. Park’s early work focused on context effects, providing insight not only about when memory fails but when it remains resilient, including in older adults. Her research advanced understanding of the superiority of picture memory relative memory for verbal materials (Park, 1980; Park et al., 1983), differences between automatic and intentional encoding (Park & James, 1983; Park & Mason, 1982; Park et al., 1983), and the influence of spatial information and context on memory (Goolkasian et al., 1979; Park et al., 1984; Puglisi et al., 1985).
Dr. Park was a visionary in the field of aging and cognitive neuroscience, paving the way for new avenues of research. Among her many contributions, she pioneered work showing how aging reduces neural distinctiveness in visual processing of object categories (Park et al., 2004; Park, J. et al., 2012; Polk et al., 2007), building on her prior work that investigated this question behaviorally (Park et al., 2002). She introduced a cognitive aging perspective into the study of culture and cognition and advocated for the importance of studying the neural mechanisms that underlie effects of culture (e.g., Chee et al., 2011; Goh et al., 2007, 2010; Hedden et al., 2002; Park & Huang, 2010). Dr. Park’s research also extended to the influence of everyday life factors on cognition. She investigated how the demands of daily routines affect cognitive performance (Martin & Park, 2003), examined challenges such as remembering (or forgetting) to take medications (e.g., Park & Jones, 1997), and she analyzed the impact of disorders like rheumatoid arthritis (e.g. Brown et al., 2002) and fibromyalgia on memory (e.g., Glass et al., 2005).
She also was a trailblazer in developing interventions to support cognitive health. Most recently she gained recognition for her work on the Synapse project where she investigated whether engaging in everyday activities, such as learning digital photography or quilting in a group setting, could boost cognitive abilities more effectively than less engaging individual or social pursuits (Park et al., 2014). Her research also examined the underlying brain changes that accompany these improvements (McDonough et al., 2015). Beyond these studies, Dr. Park worked to enhance medication adherence by supporting cognition (Park et al., 1992), explored how collaborative problem solving could strengthen cognitive skills through her collaboration with Dr. Liz Stine-Morrow on the Senior Odyssey program (Stine-Morrow et al., 2007, 2008), and demonstrated that formal tablet training offers cognitive benefits (Chan et al., 2016).
Throughout her research, Dr. Park consistently emphasized the importance of studying age effects across the adult lifespan, including middle-aged adults and individuals aged 80 and above, groups that are often overlooked in cognitive neuroscience due to practical constraints. By focusing on the unique factors that emerge during midlife, she pioneered new understanding of what cognitive aging means at this stage. Her work has shown that changes in brain function related to cognition, such as episodic memory, begin to appear earlier than previously thought. (Park, H. et al., 2013). She explored the implications of amyloid burden in middle-age adults (Farrell et al., 2017), among other significant findings that culminated in her influential chapter on the middle-aged brain (Park et al., 2017). As one of the top minds in the field of the cognitive neuroscience aging, she also co-edited the textbook, Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging: Linking Cognitive and Cerebral Aging.
Working closely with one of her most beloved friends and colleagues, Dr. Patti Reuter-Lorenz, Dr. Park help turn these early ideas and ongoing exploration of the aging brain into one of the most influential frameworks: The Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (Park & Reuter-Lorenz, 2009). Through thoughtful conversations with colleagues and students, the theory has continued to evolve, expanding over time to incorporate new research and discoveries in neurocognitive aging (Reuter-Lorenz & Park, 2014, 2024).
In this call for papers, we hope to honor Denise Park’s remarkable legacy within the field of cognitive aging. We seek empirical papers, reviews, or future-oriented perspectives that clearly build from her foundational contributions to cognitive aging.
Submission Instructions
We are asking interested authors to submit a short 200-word abstract by August 31st, 2026, directly to Dr. Ian McDonough ([email protected]) for consideration. Joining Dr. McDonough are three other trainees of Dr. Park; Dr. Angela Gutchess, Dr. Trey Hedden and Dr. Josh Goh who will also serve as guest editors for this special issue.
In the cover letter, please include a clear statement outlining how your proposed submission connects to Dr. Park’s work. Please note that only papers that closely align with Dr. Park’s research will be considered for inclusion.
We will decide by September 30th, 2026 on whether a full submission will be invited.
The goal is to receive full paper submissions from invited authors 3-4 months following the invitation by 29th January, 2027
References:
Brown, S. C., Glass, J. M., & Park, D. C. (2002). The relationship of pain and depression to cognitive function in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Pain, 96(3), 279-284.
Cabeza, R., Nyberg, L., & Park, D. C. (Eds.). (2016). Cognitive neuroscience of aging: Linking cognitive and cerebral aging. Oxford University Press.
Chan, M. Y., Haber, S., Drew, L. M., & Park, D. C. (2016). Training older adults to use tablet computers: Does it enhance cognitive function?. The Gerontologist, 56(3), 475-484.
Chee, M. W. L., Zheng, H., Goh, J. O. S., Park, D., & Sutton, B. P. (2011). Brain structure in young and old East Asians and Westerners: comparisons of structural volume and cortical thickness. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23(5), 1065-1079.
Farrell, M. E., Kennedy, K. M., Rodrigue, K. M., Wig, G., Bischof, G. N., Rieck, J. R., ... & Park, D. C. (2017). Association of longitudinal cognitive decline with amyloid burden in middle-aged and older adults: evidence for a dose-response relationship. JAMA Neurology, 74(7), 830-838.
Glass, J. M., Park, D. C., Minear, M., & Crofford, L. J. (2005). Memory beliefs and function in fibromyalgia patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 58(3), 263-269.
Goh, J. O., Leshikar, E. D., Sutton, B. P., Tan, J. C., Sim, S. K., Hebrank, A. C., & Park, D. C. (2010). Culture differences in neural processing of faces and houses in the ventral visual cortex. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 5(2-3), 227-235.
Goh, J. O., Chee, M. W., Tan, J. C., Venkatraman, V., Hebrank,A., Leshikar, E. D., et al. (2007). Age and culture modulate object processing and object-scene binding in the ventral visual area. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, 44–52.
Goolkasian, P., Terry, W. S., & Park, D. C. (1979). Memory of lectures: Effect of delay and distractor type. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71(4), 465.
Hedden, T., Park, D. C., Nisbett, R., Ji, L. J., Jing, Q., & Jiao, S. (2002). Cultural variation in verbal versus spatial neuropsychological function across the life span. Neuropsychology, 16(1), 65.
Martin, M., & Park, D. C. (2003). The Martin and Park Environmental Demands (MPED) Questionnaire: Psychometric properties of a brief instrument to measure self-reported environmental demands. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 15(1), 77-82.
McDonough, I. M., Haber, S., Bischof, G. N., & Park, D. C. (2015). The Synapse Project: Engagement in mentally challenging activities enhances neural efficiency. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 33(6), 865-882.
Park, D. C. (1980). Item and attribute storage of pictures and words in memory. The American Journal of Psychology, 603-615.
Park, D. C., Festini, S. B., Cabeza, R., & Nyberg, L. (2017). The middle-aged brain: a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging: Linking Cognitive and Cerebral Aging, 2, 606.
Park, D. C., & Huang, C. M. (2010). Culture wires the brain: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 391-400.
Park, D. C., & James, C. Q. (1983). Effect of encoding instructions on children's spatial and color memory: Is there evidence for automaticity?. Child Development, 61-68.
Park, D. C., & Jones, T. R. (1997). Medication adherence and aging. In A. D. Fisk & W. A. Rogers (Eds.), Handbook of human factors and the older adult (pp. 257–287). Academic Press.
Park, D. C., Lautenschlager, G., Hedden, T., Davidson, N. S., Smith, A. D., & Smith, P. K. (2002). Models of visuospatial and verbal memory across the adult life span. Psychology and Aging, 17(2), 299–320. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.17.2.299
Park, D. C., Lodi-Smith, J., Drew, L., Haber, S., Hebrank, A., Bischof, G. N., & Aamodt, W. (2014). The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults: The Synapse Project. Psychological Science, 25(1), 103-112.
Park, D. C., & Mason, D. A. (1982). Is there evidence for automatic processing of spatial and color attributes present in pictures and words?. Memory & Cognition, 10(1), 76-81.
Park, D. C., Polk, T. A., Park, R., Minear, M., Savage, A., & Smith, M. R. (2004). Aging reduces neural specialization in ventral visual cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(35), 13091-13095.
Park, D. C., Puglisi, J. T., & Sovacool, M. (1983). Memory for pictures, words, and spatial location in older adults: Evidence for pictorial superiority. Journal of Gerontology, 38(5), 582-588.
Park, D. C., Puglisi, J. T., & Sovacool, M. (1984). Picture memory in older adults: Effects of contextual detail at encoding and retrieval. Journal of Gerontology, 39(2), 213-215.
Park, D. C., & Reuter-Lorenz, P. (2009). The adaptive brain: aging and neurocognitive scaffolding. Annual Review of Psychology, 60(1), 173-196.
Park, D. C., Morrell, R. W., Frieske, D., & Kincaid, D. (1992). Medication adherence behaviors in older adults: effects of external cognitive supports. Psychology and Aging, 7(2), 252.
Park, H., Kennedy, K. M., Rodrigue, K. M., Hebrank, A., & Park, D. C. (2013). An fMRI study of episodic encoding across the lifespan: changes in subsequent memory effects are evident by middle-age. Neuropsychologia, 51(3), 448-456.
Park, J., Carp, J., Kennedy, K. M., Rodrigue, K. M., Bischof, G. N., Huang, C. M., ... & Park, D. C. (2012). Neural broadening or neural attenuation? Investigating age-related dedifferentiation in the face network in a large lifespan sample. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(6), 2154-2158.
Polk, T. A., Park, J., Smith, M. R., & Park, D. C. (2007). Nature versus nurture in ventral visual cortex: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of twins. Journal of Neuroscience, 27(51), 13921-13925.
Puglisi, J. T., Park, D. C., Smith, A. D., & Hill, G. W. (1985). Memory for two types of spatial location: Effects of instructions, age, and format. The American Journal of Psychology, 101-118.
Reuter-Lorenz, P. A., & Park, D. C. (2014). How does it STAC up? Revisiting the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition. Neuropsychology Review, 24(3), 355-370.
Reuter-Lorenz, P. A., & Park, D. C. (2024). Cognitive aging and the life course: A new look at the scaffolding theory. Current Opinion in Psychology, 56, 101781.
Stine-Morrow, E. A., Parisi, J. M., Morrow, D. G., Greene, J., & Park, D. C. (2007). An engagement model of cognitive optimization through adulthood. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62(Special_Issue_1), 62-69.
Stine-Morrow, E. A., Parisi, J. M., Morrow, D. G., & Park, D. C. (2008). The effects of an engaged lifestyle on cognitive vitality: a field experiment. Psychology and Aging, 23(4), 778.