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Speaker: Shima Raeesi (left)
Paper: Contribution of Modifiable Midlife and Late-Life Vascular Risk Factors to Incident Dementia
Learning Objectives: This presentation will discuss a recent prospective cohort study from the ARIC study that estimated the proportion of dementia cases attributable to hypertension, diabetes, and smoking measured in midlife and late life. Colleagues will learn how vascular risk factors contribute to dementia risk, how population attributable fractions can inform prevention strategies, and why vascular health is important for dementia prevention.
About the Speaker: Shima is a PhD student in Neuroscience at McGill University, supervised by Dr. Mahsa Dadar. Her research focuses on cognitive reserve and resilience in aging and Alzheimer’s disease, particularly the roles of education, vascular risk factors, white matter hyperintensities, and neurodegeneration.
Speaker: Anajana Menon (right)
Talk Description: The paper examines whether white matter hyperintensity burden, measured using the Fazekas score, is associated with cognitive impairment and frailty in older adults with atrial fibrillation. I will summarize the study rationale, cohort design, neuroimaging and clinical assessments, and key longitudinal findings over the two-year follow-up period. The presentation will also critically discuss the strengths and limitations of the study, including its sample size, use of clinically indicated imaging, cognitive assessment approach, and implications for understanding brain frailty in older adults with cardiovascular disease.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
Describe the relationship between white matter hyperintensities, atrial fibrillation, cognitive impairment, and frailty in older adults.
Discuss the potential role of neuroimaging markers in risk stratification and future research on brain frailty and cognitive decline.
About the Speaker: Anjana J. Menon is a PhD student in Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Calgary, supervised by Dr. Aravind Ganesh and Dr. Eric E. Smith. Her research focuses on neuroimaging markers of brain frailty, vascular risk factors, stroke, and cognitive decline in aging populations. She has experience in clinical and cognitive neuroscience, CT and MRI-based markers of brain frailty, cognitive outcome harmonization, and evidence synthesis. Her broader research interests include understanding mechanisms that contribute to cognitive decline and developing approaches to support healthier brain aging.
More info our other speakers coming soon!