We spoke to Doriana Tinello, a doctoral student at CIGEV (UNIGE's Centre interfacultaire en gérontologie et d'étude des vulnérabilités) and a member of the LIVES Centre. She shares with us what led her to start a doctorate and the challenges of her research.
What motivated you to embark on a doctorate?
Actually, during my post-graduate training to become a psychotherapist, I felt the need to strengthen my knowledge of psychophysiology. That's how I became interested in innovative methods that were still little known in Switzerland at the time (in 2015), such as heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback and neurofeedback.
The advantage of these approaches lies in the possibility of modifying the activity of the autonomic nervous system and brainwave activity through feedback. As a VFC biofeedback practitioner, I have observed some interesting results in older people, particularly in terms of improved emotional management, stabilisation of blood pressure, improved focus, and so on.
Given the lack of literature on the effect of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback on this population, I decided to look into this subject in greater depth. I therefore proposed a research project to Prof. Matthias Kliegel, aimed at exploring the effectiveness and feasibility of an intervention combining Biofeedback and Neurofeedback on inhibition control in the elderly.
I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Kliegel for believing in this project, which was incorporated into my doctorate. Subsequently, training cognitive functions in vulnerable populations became the central theme of my thesis.
Your research involves psychologists and economists. How do you reconcile these two apparently very different fields?
Maintaining optimal cognitive function is all the more important now that people are living longer and are often faced with changes in their working environment, which requires ongoing training and learning. Good cognitive health is therefore essential if we are to adapt successfully to a longer, more productive life.
However, cognitive functioning is a multifaceted aspect that varies from one individual to another throughout life and is influenced by many factors, including genetics, education, psychological and motivational factors, socio-economic status, physical activity, sleep quality and acute illness. In the context of our research with jobseekers, a unique study of its kind, we explored the impact of a multimodal intervention on different cognitive, psychological and occupational variables, bringing together two very distinct but highly complementary fields, cognitive developmental psychology and economics.
Do you think your results could have an impact on the care of the elderly?
My thesis projects were conducted during the COVID-19 period, which could have had an impact on the number of participants, potentially altering their motivation to engage in training over the months. Despite these challenges, it is crucial to emphasise that interventions involving multiple components (such as cognition, physiology and exercise) offer holistic management of older people and demonstrate the greatest number of benefits. What's more, the plasticity of the nervous system means that improvements can be made throughout life, even in vulnerable individuals!