Nutrition and Mental Performance

Ideal for psychology, food science and nutrition students at a variety of levels, this text provides a unique lifespan perspective to guide students through nutrition and cognitive performance. With contributions from leading academics and professionals, it is an accessible and comprehensive guide to the connection between psychology and nutrition.

DR. LEIGH RIBY is Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University, UK, where he is the program leader for an MSc in Nutrition and Psychological Science. He is also a member of the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Centre and the Cognition and Communication research center at Northumbria University. He earned a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Lincolnshire and his PhD in Experimental Psychology in the area of cognitive aging and frontal lobe deficits at the Department of Experimental Psychology, Bristol University. More recently, Dr. Riby has published a catalog of research papers on the topic of glycaemic modulation of cognitive processes using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques in younger adults and older adults.

DR. MICHAEL SMITH holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology and a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Western Australia. Dr. Smith's PhD research investigated the influence of glucose ingestion on cognitive performance in adolescents. After undertaking postdoctoral work at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (Australia), he took up his current post at Northumbria University (UK). Previous and current research interests include the influence of ginseng, carbohydrates and breakfast on cognitive performance across the lifespan, and the role of omega-3 fatty acids in neurocognitive development and mood.

PROFESSOR JONATHAN FOSTER is Senior Research Fellow in Psychology at Curtin University, Australia, and holds honorary/adjunct positions at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and the University of Western Australia. He obtained a DPhil in Neuropsychology from the University of Oxford in 1989 before undertaking a postdoctoral position with Professor Donald Stuss at the University of Toronto. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles relating to the mechanisms underlying cognitive functioning across the lifespan. He has published widely on the influence of glucose ingestion on cognitive performance.