Aging Gracefully Lab
in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Carolina
Aging Gracefully Lab Director Dr. Neils-Strunjas Puts Spotlight on Dementia Prevention
Click here to read her featured interview and learn more about how small, achievable changes today can make BIG changes on cognitive health tomorrow, including:
- Social engagement
- Staying physically active
- Practicing mindful meditation
- Taking care of our hearing
- …and more!
Recent Publications
Physical function impacts hearing without mediation from systolic blood pressure
Neils-Strunjas, J., Arjmandi, M., Hajihosseini, M., Riccardi, N., Vandergriff, C., Leonard, M., Newman-Norlund, S., Nemati, S., Ashjaei, S., Droege, L., Salman, N., Donelle, L., Wang, K., Friedman, D. B., Bonilha, L., & Fridriksson, J. (2026). Physical function impacts hearing without mediation from systolic blood pressure. Scientific Reports, 16, 24697.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55494-w
In 150 adults aged 50 to 80, every 10-point increase in physical function was associated with a 1.35 dB HL decrease in hearing threshold, independent of systolic blood pressure. Blood pressure rose with age but did not mediate the relationship between physical function and hearing, indicating that a more active lifestyle is associated with better hearing.
Video summary of the study, produced with the journal.
Recent Poster Presentations
Early Reading Challenges Forecast Later-Life Literacy Independent of Global Cognitive Impairment
Vandergriff, C., Neils-Strunjas, J., Karami, M., & Leonard, M. (2025, October 9). Early reading challenges forecast later-life literacy, independent of global cognitive impairment [Poster presentation]. 2025 Statewide Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Symposium, Pastides Alumni Center, Columbia, SC.
Dissociable Discourse Signatures of Reading Ability and General Cognition: Towards Targets for Generative AI Text Transformation
Vandergriff, C., Elston, C., Karami, M., & Neils-Strunjas, J. (2026, March 27). Dissociable discourse signatures of reading ability and general cognition: Towards targets for generative AI text transformation [Poster presentation]. Institute for Mind and Brain Conference, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
Ongoing Studies
2026 ASHA Convention Meritorious Session Awarded
Impact of Childhood Reading Difficulties on Adult Reading and Cognitive-Linguistic Assessment
Selected as a Meritorious Session, an honor given to about 6% of the nearly 1,900 oral submissions to the 2026 ASHA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Learning outcomes:
- Identify key developmental processes in childhood reading that influence adult reading comprehension and literacy performance
- Compare common cognitive and language assessments on the extent to which they capture reading-related skills in adults
- Describe strategies for integrating developmental reading histories into adult assessment and intervention planning
1-Hour Seminar • Friday, November 20, 2026 • Indiana Convention Center
Authors
Jean Neils-Strunjas, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow — Professor and Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina
Cara Vandergriff, MA, MS, CCC-SLP — Doctoral Candidate and Research Assistant, University of South Carolina
Diane Paul, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow — Director, Clinical Issues in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (moderator)
Kate McDoniel — Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of South Carolina; graduate student in speech-language pathology, Medical University of South Carolina
All four are presenting authors.
2024 ASHA Convention Visionary Session Awarded
The Relationship Between Age-Related Hearing Loss, Phonological Working Memory, and Cognitive Decline
Learning outcomes:
- Analyze a proposed model of the interrelationship of hearing, cognition, social isolation and brain health
- Identify the associations between ARHL and cognitive decline through peripheral hearing sensitivity,
phonological working memory, and word recognition in noise - Discuss how the assessment of phonological working memory can be combined with audiometric hearing test and words in noise recognition test for clinical assessment of ARHL and cognitive decline
Authors
Jean Neils-Strunjas, Sarah Newman-Norlund, Julius Fridriksson, Leonardo Bonilha
2023 ASHA Convention Changemaker Session Awarded
THE RELATIONSHIP OF HEARING LOSS, COGNITION, SOCIAL ISOLATION, AND THE BRAIN IMAGING
Learning outcomes:
- Compare models of hearing loss and aging
- Analyze a proposed model of the interrelationship of hearing, cognition, social isolation and brain health
- Plan related research projects
Authors
MEISAM ARJMANDI, JEAN NEILS-STRUNJAS, SAMANEH NEMATI, ROGER NEWMAN-NORLUND, SARAH NEWMAN-NORLUND
Our Focus
The Aging Gracefully Lab focuses on how exercise and social engagement improve cognition and reduce the risk of mental and physical health problems. Exercise reduces the risk of stroke and degenerative neurological disease such as Alzheimer’s disease. Social engagement improves adherence to exercise, and decreases depression and stress, which impact physical health. Increased understanding and application of research may benefit older adults living in the community and also those residing in nursing homes where physical inactivity and social isolation are common. Exercise and social engagement benefit mood, brain health, physical health, cognition, and quality of life.