Optical measures of cerebral arterial function as predictors of brain and cognitive aging
Description: ! Narrative Inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness are among the most important risk factors for cerebral arteriosclerosis (stiffening of the arteries), a condition that has long been associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older individuals, with increased risks for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. In the proposed research we investigate the use of novel measures of cerebral arterial elasticity (based on optical measures of the cerebral arterial pulse, pulse-DOT), to assess early stages of cerebral arteriosclerosis in normally aging individuals (50-70 years). Pulse- DOT provides maps of arterial stiffness in an individual brain, which may be associated with age-related regional structural brain changes and specific patterns of cognitive decline, and could be used for designing individually tailored interventions for the prevention of MCI and dementia.
Funder: National Institute on Aging
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: R01
Start date: 2018-08-15
End date: 2026-04-30
Investigator: MONICA FABIANI
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Funded outputs count: 19
Funder award ID: R01AG059878
OpenAlex ID: G101806076