Environmental factors and cognitive health: from air pollution to environmental mixtures
Impaired cognitive function and dementia can result in heavy emotional and economic burdens on the aging person's family and society. Given the large and growing population of older adults, identifying ubiquitous and modifiable risk factors for cognitive health has become increasingly important. Despite the Lancet Commission recognizing air pollution as a risk factor for dementia, the findings of associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and incident dementia are still inconsistent. To fill this knowledge gap, I will introduce how we quantified associations of long-term exposure to total and source-specific air pollution with incident dementia among older adults in the US. I will further discuss the role of vascular conditions as a potential mediator and effect modifier of the association between air pollution and incident dementia. In addition to air pollution, I will also share our ongoing research exploring the potential effect of environmental mixtures on cognitive decline.
About the speaker: Dr. Boya Zhang is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her primary research interests mainly lie in environmental exposures and their role in developing chronic diseases, with a particular focus on air pollution. Dr. Zhang earned a Ph.D. in Epidemiological Science at the University of Michigan, an M.S. in Environmental Health, and a bachelor's degree in Preventive Medicine from Peking University in China. Currently, she is working on exploring the effect of environmental mixtures on dementia and other aging-related outcomes, aiming to contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationships between the environment and cognitive health.
THIS IS A HYBRID SEMINAR: In person and online via Panopto
This seminar will be held in Grainger Hall room 1112.
Visit the seminar website for a link to attend virtually.
Both attendance options are free and open to all.
