Whitmer Lab Members Present at UC Davis Undergraduate Research Conference 2020

Pallavi Malladi and Emely Perez Present Results from KHANDLE Study

 

Each year, UC Davis undergraduates in all academic fields are invited to submit an abstract and registration information to participate in the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities Conference. The conference is designed to acquaint undergraduate students with the process and academic rigors of presenting research in a scholarly manner.

For the 2020 Conference, students presented their research and design projects to faculty, staff and other conference participants with a video presentation (accompanying their poster or slides) and opportunities for interactive Q&A. 

 

Cardiovascular Risk Factors as an Indicator of AgeRelated Cognitive Impairment

Pallavi Malladi

Current literature supports that midlife cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors (e.g. obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes) are negatively associated with late-life cognition. Less is known about the relationship between CVD risks developed prior to late-life. Using the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences cohort (KHANDLE; n=1712), we aimed to assess the association between early- and mid-life CVD risks within three age groups (ages 15-28: n= 604; ages 29-34: n=567; ages 35-63: n=541) and cognition assessed in late-life (mean age: 76; range: 65-90). Linear regression analysis showed that individuals with two or more CVD risk factors had lower mean global cognitive test scores (ß=-0.17; 95% CI: -0.28, -0.07) than individuals with no risk factors. Additionally, individuals with high cholesterol (ß=-0.12; 95% CI: -0.23, -0.01) and those who were overweight or obese (ß=-0.11; 95% CI: -0.20, -0.03) had worse global cognitive test scores. Associations were consistent across age groups. These results add to the growing literature highlighting that CVD risk factors in early- and mid-life negatively affect late-life cognition.

 

Cardiovascular Risk Factors as an Indicator of AgeRelated Cognitive Impairment

Emely Perez Pinera

Current literature supports that midlife cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors (e.g. obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes) are negatively associated with late-life cognition. Less is known about the relationship between CVD risks developed prior to late-life. Using the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences cohort (KHANDLE; n=1712), we aimed to assess the association between early- and mid-life CVD risks within three age groups (ages 15-28: n= 604; ages 29-34: n=567; ages 35-63: n=541) and cognition assessed in late-life (mean age: 76; range: 65-90). Linear regression analysis showed that individuals with two or more CVD risk factors had lower mean global cognitive test scores (ß=-0.17; 95% CI: -0.28, -0.07) than individuals with no risk factors. Additionally, individuals with high cholesterol (ß=-0.12; 95% CI: -0.23, -0.01) and those who were overweight or obese (ß=-0.11; 95% CI: -0.20, -0.03) had worse global cognitive test scores. Associations were consistent across age groups. These results add to the growing literature highlighting that CVD risk factors in early- and mid-life negatively affect late-life cognition.