Harvard Catalyst Profiles

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, along with the global measures used to control the spread of the disease, have been particularly stressful for older adults. Robust evidence suggests that psychosocial (both acute and chronic) stress plays a significant role in the onset of age-related cognitive decline and dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, the sudden and drastic changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be particularly detrimental to older people and may enhance neurological aging and neurodegeneration-related processes. However, the potential impact of the current pandemic on the health of older adults is currently unknown. Understanding the mechanism linking stress to AD pathology and brain function will improve our understanding of the evolution of AD and offer new prevention strategies. This project presents a unique opportunity to examine relevant clinical data collected during the pandemic from a diverse population of older adults that are part of three natural history, non-interventional imaging studies. Interested student will be involved in quality checking the data, coming up with relevant questions, running statistical analyses and disseminating data. Statistical knowledge (R-software or equivalent) is preferred.