Alexandra Fiocco
Associate Professor
Psychology
Ryerson University
Canada
Biography
Dr. Fiocco’s approach to research is multidisciplinary, incorporating different branches of learning such as psychology, neuroendocrinology, genetics, and epidemiology. She obtained a MSc in Psychology with a specialization in Neuroscience from Carleton University in 2002, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience from McGill University in 2008. Following her doctoral training, she pursued postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco in clinical and epidemiological research and completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at Baycrest in Toronto. Dr. Fiocco’s research interests center around cognitive aging and wellbeing in late life. In particular, she investigates biological and psychosocial determinants of cognitive function in healthy older adults, using longitudinal, cross-sectional, and randomized controlled study designs.
Research Interest
aging; stress; cognitive aging; biopsychosocial determinants; mindfulness meditation.
Publications
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Nastaskin, R. & Fiocco, A.J. (2015). A survey of diet self-efficacy and food intake in students with high and low perceived stress. Nutrition Journal, 14:42 doi:10.1186/s12937-015-0026-z.
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Mallya, S. & Fiocco, A.J. (2015). Effects of mindfulness training on cognition and wellbeing in healthy older adults. Mindfulness, 7, 453-465.
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Mah, L., Szabunieiwcz, C., & Fiocco, A.J. (2016). Can anxiety damage the brain? Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 29, 56-63.
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Peck, K., Gerrard, T., Russo, F. & Fiocco, A.J. (2016). Music and memory in Alzheimer’s Disease: Potential underlying mechanisms. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 51, 949-59.
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Huang, V. Peck, K., Mallya, S. Lupien, S. & Fiocco, A.J. (2016). Subjective sleep quality as a possible mediator in the relationship between personality traits and depressive symptoms in middle-aged adults. PLOS ONE, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157238
