Silver Santé Study partners from each of the project’s work packages have come together to share progress on their work as part of the study’s annual meeting.

The conference, which took place in Barcelona in November 2017, provided an opportunity for all the study’s partners to update each other on the progress of their individual areas of research and to discuss various aspects in close detail during workshops.

Project Coordinator Dr Gaël Chételat, says: “Our annual consortium meeting provides a great opportunity for the whole consortium to get together to share progress, discuss our research and to work on specific areas in teams.

“I’m pleased to say that the project is on track and there are encouraging signs that we will have some very interesting results at the conclusion of the project in 2021.”

The Silver Santé Study is the first multi-disciplinary research project to examine the impact of mental training techniques – such as meditation and learning a language – on the brain with a view to improving the mental health and well-being of people in later life. It is also exploring the effects of certain lifestyle factors, including sleep quality, emotions, diet and physical activity, on our mental health as we age.

It is coordinated from Inserm in Caen, France, and brings together ten partners in six European countries (France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Belgium and Spain). The first results should be known in 2019.