Dr Dorina Cadar
Uncovering the Hidden Impacts of Brain Reserve and Biopsychosocial Stress on Brain Health: A Path to Dementia Prevention
Efforts to prevent dementia often focus on risk factors that can be modified earlier in life, as treatments to reverse dementia progression remain limited to date. My research in the explores the impact of biopsychosocial risk factors—such as brain and cognitive reserve, stress, and social isolation—on brain function and cognitive ageing, particularly in individuals facing heightened risk for dementia. I am especially interested in understanding how chronic exposure to these stressors affects neurobiological pathways involved in memory and emotional regulation, contributing to early cognitive decline and dementia.
Reduced brain reserve and chronic psychosocial stressors are linked to alterations in brain regions like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, mirroring changes seen in early dementia. Students may lead projects investigating whether these neural changes are tied to cognitive disadvantages in individuals exposed to prolonged social stress and social isolation and whether targeted interventions can mitigate these brain changes to reduce dementia risk.
This project is ideal for students interested in cognitive, affective, behavioural and social neuroscience, focusing on understanding how biopsychosocial factors influence brain health and dementia risk. Students will gain experience designing cognitive and psychosocial assessments, analysing biomarkers, and cognitive and neuroimaging data from longitudinal or interventional studies aimed at slowing cognitive decline and dementia risk. Shorter rotation projects will focus on secondary data analysis or studies of healthy ageing, while longer-term projects (~3 years) may extend to at-risk populations and dementia patients.
Please reach out if you're interested in discussing potential projects in this area!
Key references
- Systemic inflammation, lifestyle behaviours and dementia: a 10-year follow-up investigation, Hillari L, Frank P, Cadar D, Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health, Elsevier, 38; 2024
- Moderating role of cognitive reserve markers between childhood cognition and cognitive aging: evidence from the 1946 British birth cohort, Almeida-Meza P, Richards M, Cadar D; Neurology 99(12):E1239-E1250; 2022
- Investigating the relationship between IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP-3 concentrations and later-life cognition and brain volume; Salzmann A, James S-N, Williams DM, Richards M, Cadar D, et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 106(6):1617-1629Oxford University Press, 2021
- Markers of cognitive reserve and dementia incidence in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; Almeida-Meza P, Steptoe A, Cadar D; British Journal of Psychiatry218(5):243-251, 2021
- Exploring the bidirectional associations between loneliness and cognitive functioning over 10 years: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Yin J, Lassale C, Steptoe A, Cadar D. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2019.
Visit Dorina's for a full list of publications.
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