The use of resting state data in an integrative approach to studying neurocognitive ageing - Commentary on Campbell...

This is a commentary on Campbell and Schacter (2016), 'Ageing and the Resting State: Is Cognition Obsolete?'. Campbell and Schacter argue that resting state data have a limited ability to contribute to the study of neurocognitive ageing and that the field should focus more on results from carefully controlled experimental designs. In this commentary, we argue for a different perspective on future research directions in neurocognitive ageing. Specifically for the need to use a more integrative approach; combining rest and task data as well as information from different modalities to obtain a better understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie healthy cognitive ageing. Potential benefits of this integrative approach are illustrated with a number of examples. In addition, we discuss some of the advantages of using resting state data as part of this integrative approach.