Maddison Mellow

Dr Maddison Mellow

Research Associate

School of Allied Health and Human Performance

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr Maddison Mellow is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in healthy ageing and dementia risk reduction. She completed a Bachelor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (Honours) in 2018, followed by her PhD (conferred in 2023) at the University of South Australia. Her PhD thesis investigated how the balance of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in the 24-hr day (i.e., 24-hr time-use composition) is associated with cognitive function, brain structure and brain plasticity in older adults without dementia. This work was funded by a Dementia Australia Research Foundation PhD scholarship. 
Since 2023 she has been employed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) Research Centre. Her postdoctoral research program explores the links between lifestyle and brain health in older adulthood, and the factors which impact this relationship (e.g., health, sociodemographic characteristics, and genetic risk factors for dementia). Using this knowledge, her research aims to create dementia risk reduction tools and programs which are personalised to individual characteristics, preferences and needs. Having been born and raised in rural South Australia, Dr Mellow is particularly passionate about ensuring rural Australians are given the tools and knowledge to age well in place, and are not left behind in health research.
To date, she has been awarded >$1.5million in competitive research funding and travel grants, including an Australian Association of Gerontology Emerging Researchers in Ageing travel grant (2024), an EO Myers and South Australian Cardiovascular Research Fund travel grant (2025), and as co-investigator on a National Health and Medical Research Council Ideas Grant (2024). Dr Mellow has presented her work at international scientific conferences including the Alzheimer's Association International Conference and International Network of Time-Use Epidemiologists Annual Meeting.
She actively co-supervises a number of PhD candidates and Honours students from cognitive neuroscience, clinical exercise physiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy backgrounds. 

Year Citation
2025 Mellow, M. L., Blake, H. T., Ferguson, T., Robins, B., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., . . . Smith, A. E. (2025). ‘Small Steps’ towards improving 24-hour time-use behaviours to decrease the risk of dementia: protocol for a personalised, web-based randomised controlled trial in community-dwelling older adults. BMJ Open, 15(11), 14 pages.
DOI
2025 Blake, H. T., Davis, A., Mellow, M. L., Hull, M., Robins, B., Laver, K., . . . Smith, A. E. (2025). Co-design of a digital 24-hour time-use intervention with older adults and allied health professionals. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7(1544489), 14 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2025 Mellow, M. L., Taylor, P. J., Luscombe Marsh, N., Kenny, P., & Lushington, K. (2025). Food preparation and nutrition manuals in Australian residential aged care: a comparative analysis. Collegian, 32(6), 427-435.
DOI
2025 Kałamała, P., Ware, N., Fabiani, M., Michie, P., Hunter, M., Wade, A., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2025). Cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health are associated with distinct cognitive domains in cognitively healthy older adults. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 19 pages.
DOI
2025 James, J. J., Mellow, M. L., Bueckers, E. P., Gutsch, S. B., Wrucke, D. J., Pearson, A. G., . . . Hunter, S. K. (2025). Sex differences in human skeletal muscle fiber types and the influence of age, physical activity, and muscle group: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Physiological Reports, 13(21), e70616.
DOI Europe PMC1
2025 Collins, A. M., Mellow, M. L., Smith, A. E., Wan, L., Gothe, N. P., Fanning, J., . . . Erickson, K. I. (2025). 24-Hour time use and cognitive performance in late adulthood: results from the investigating gains in neurocognition in an intervention trial of exercise (IGNITE) study. Age And Ageing, 54(4, article no. afaf072), 1-9.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC7
2024 Sewell, K. R., Collins, A. M., Mellow, M. L., Falck, R. S., Brown, B. M., Smith, A. E., & Erickson, K. I. (2024). A compensatory role of physical activity in the association between sleep and cognition. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 52(4), 145-151.
DOI Scopus8 WoS7 Europe PMC7
2024 Mellow, M. L., Luscombe Marsh, N., Taylor, P. J., Kenny, P., & Lushington, K. (2024). Food, nutrition and the dining experience in aged care settings: findings of a nationwide survey. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 43(1), 100-111.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC2
2024 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Dorrian, J., Wade, A. T., . . . Smith, A. E. (2024). Cross-sectional associations between 24-hour time-use composition, grey matter volume and cognitive function in healthy older adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21(1), 11-1-11-17.
DOI Scopus13 WoS11 Europe PMC9
2024 Shah, M., Suresh, S., Paddick, J., Mellow, M. L., Rees, A., Berryman, C., . . . Smith, A. E. (2024). Age-related changes in responsiveness to non-invasive brain stimulation neuroplasticity paradigms: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Clinical Neurophysiology, 162, 53-67.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC4
2024 Simpson, F. M., Wade, A., Stanford, T., Mellow, M. L., Collins, C. E., Murphy, K. J., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2024). The Relationship Between Dietary Patterns, Cognition, and Cardiometabolic Health in Healthy, Older Adults. Nutrients, 16(22), 22 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2024 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Wade, A., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Keage, H., . . . Smith, A. E. (2024). Should We Work Smarter or Harder for Our Health? A Comparison of Intensity and Domain-Based Time-Use Compositions and Their Associations With Cognitive and Cardiometabolic Health. Journals of Gerontology Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 79(11), 10 pages.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC7
2023 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Wade, A. T., Stanford, T., Olds, T. S., Karayanidis, F., . . . Smith, A. E. (2023). Corrigendum: Twenty-four-hour time-use composition and cognitive function in older adults: cross-sectional findings of the ACTIVate study (Front. Hum. Neurosci., (2022), 16, (1051793), 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1051793). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17, 1221303.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2023 Miatke, A., Olds, T., Maher, C., Fraysse, F., Mellow, M. L., Smith, A. E., . . . Dumuid, D. (2023). The association between reallocations of time and health using compositional data analysis: a systematic scoping review with an interactive data exploration interface. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 20(127), 1-16.
DOI Scopus42 WoS38 Europe PMC43
2022 Mellow, M. L., Hull, M. J., Smith, A. E., Wycherley, T. P., Girard, D., & Crozier, A. J. (2022). Mixed-methods evaluation of Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults. BMC Geriatrics, 22(1), 12 pages.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2022 Dumuid, D., Mellow, M. L., Stanford, T. E., Chong, K. H., Sawyer, S. M., Smith, A. E., . . . Olds, T. (2022). Many different roads lead to Rome: equivalence of time-use for activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours and dietary intake profiles among adolescents. Journal Of Activity, Sedentary And Sleep Behaviors, 1(1, article no. 6), 1-11.
DOI Scopus5 WoS3
2022 Smith, A. E., Wade, A. T., Olds, T., Dumuid, D., Breakspear, M. J., Laver, K., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2022). Characterising activity and diet compositions for dementia prevention: protocol for the ACTIVate prospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Open, 12(1), 1-12.
DOI Scopus8 WoS8 Europe PMC6
2022 Mellow, M. L., Crozier, A. J., Dumuid, D., Wade, A. T., Goldsworthy, M. R., Dorrian, J., & Smith, A. E. (2022). How are combinations of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep related to cognitive function in older adults? A systematic review. Experimental Gerontology, 159(article no.111698), 111698-1-111698-17.
DOI Scopus52 WoS46 Europe PMC44
2022 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Wade, A. T., Stanford, T., Olds, T. S., Karayanidis, F., . . . Smith, A. E. (2022). Twenty-four-hour time-use composition and cognitive function in older adults: cross-sectional findings of the ACTIVate study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16(1051793), 1-14.
DOI Scopus13 WoS14 Europe PMC13
2022 Olds, T. S., Dumuid, D., Mellow, M. L., Keage, H. A. D., Wade, A. T., Hunter, M., . . . Smith, A. E. (2022). The perceived mental effort of everyday activities in older adults. Experimental Gerontology, 169(article no. 111971), 8 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2022 Dumuid, D., Mellow, M. L., Olds, T., Tregoweth, E., Greaves, D., Keage, H., & Smith, A. E. (2022). Does APOE epsilon 4 status change how 24-hour time-use composition is associated with cognitive function? An exploratory analysis among middle-to-older adults. Journal of Alzheimers Disease, 88(3), 1157-1165.
DOI Scopus19 WoS16 Europe PMC18
2021 Gavelin, H. M., Dong, C., Minkov, R., Bahar Fuchs, A., Ellis, K. A., Lautenschlager, N. T., . . . Lampit, A. (2021). Combined physical and cognitive training for older adults with and without cognitive impairment: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ageing Research Reviews, 66(101232), 1-15.
DOI Scopus259 WoS246 Europe PMC200
2020 Mouatt, B., Smith, A. E., Mellow, M. L., Parfitt, G., Smith, R. T., & Stanton, T. R. (2020). The Use of Virtual Reality to Influence Motivation, Affect, Enjoyment, and Engagement During Exercise: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 1(564664), 23 pages.
DOI Scopus131 WoS107
2019 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Thacker, J. S., Dorrian, J., & Smith, A. E. (2019). Building your best day for healthy brain aging—The neuroprotective effects of optimal time use. Maturitas, 125, 33-40.
DOI Scopus15 WoS14 Europe PMC13
2019 Mellow, M. L., Goldsworthy, M. R., Coussens, S., & Smith, A. E. (2019). Acute aerobic exercise and neuroplasticity of the motor cortex: a systematic review. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(4), 408-414.
DOI Scopus59 WoS51 Europe PMC51

Year Citation
2023 Karayanidis, F., Johnson, J., Ware, N., Johnson, S., Low, K., Soman, S., . . . Fabiani, M. (2023). ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CEREBRAL ARTERIAL ELASTICITY, CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AND COGNITION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. In PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY Vol. 60 (pp. S48). LA, New Orleans: WILEY.

Year Citation
2025 Mellow, M., Blake, H., Ferguson, T., Robins, B., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., . . . Smith, A. (2025). ‘Small Steps’ towards improving 24-hour time-use behaviours to decrease the risk of dementia: protocol for a personalised, web-based randomised controlled trial in community-dwelling older adults.
DOI Europe PMC1
2023 Mellow, M., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Dorrian, J., Wade, A., . . . Smith, A. (2023). Cross-sectional associations between 24-hour time-use composition, grey matter volume and cognitive function in healthy older adults.
DOI
2021 Smith, A., Wade, A., Olds, T., Dumuid, D., Breakspear, M., Laver, K., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2021). Optimising activity and diet compositions for dementia prevention: Protocol for the ACTIVate prospective longitudinal cohort study.
DOI

  • Heart Foundation Travel Grant, National Heart Foundation of Australia (South Australian Division), 05/04/2025 - 31/12/2025

  • Maggie Beer Foundation analysis and review, The Maggie Beer Foundation Ltd, 09/10/2020 - 01/03/2021

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Alison Doyle
2025 Co-Supervisor - - Master Full Time Miss Georgia Mae Crossman
2025 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Amy Elizabeth Rees
2024 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Britt Jane Burton

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