Research Projects
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Tool for Measuring Brain Aging
Linking epigenetics and brain aging
Intergenerational impacts
Protective factors
Building better
brain age models
Measuring "brain age" using MRI has emerged as a promising approach to capture deviations in developmental/aging trajectories. However, existing brain age models tend to be optimized for accuracy in predicting chronological age, rather than for their utility in forecasting clinical risk. A central aim of the lab is to develop brain age models that yield greater clinical utility, particularly in the context of stress and trauma.
Connecting the dots between brain aging and epigenetic aging
Brain aging, in addition to aging metrics based on epigenetics (“epigenetic aging”), are both widely used throughout the lifespan literature. Many studies report no association between epigenetic- and brain age acceleration, or only very weak associations. This is puzzling given that both methods measure altered aging/developmental trajectories. One focus of the lab is to better understand the relationship between brain aging and epigenetic aging, including questions such as 1) Does epigenetic aging precede brain aging? 2) Do brain- and epigenetic- aging occur along different timescales during development? and 3) Does epigenetic aging serve as a mediator/moderator of the associations between stress/trauma and brain aging?
Intergenerational impacts of stress and trauma
Evidence demonstrates that a mother's experiences of stress and trauma can have negatively impact her own biology, as well as that of her children. The lab seeks to investigate how these pervasive "intergenerational" effects are transmitted across multiple generations and lead to things like increased risk for psychiatric disorders, chronic disease, accelerated aging, and premature mortality. The ultimate goal is to disrupt generational cycles of trauma and ensure healthy mental well-being for mothers as well as their children.
Identifying protective factors against the effects of stress and trauma
We know that therapy can improve mental health, but can it also reverse the biological effects of stress? Our research investigates how protective family factors positively influence the brain and biological aging, helping us understand not only whether people recover, but how recovery happens.