Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Dementia and cerebrovascular disease can lead to significant impact on everyday activities. The risk of dementia and cerebrovascular disease are linked to several chronic medical conditions emerging in midlife, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Because current treatments for dementia and cerebrovascular disease are not considered efficacious, it is important to identify effective preventative strategies, especially in populations at a higher risk. There are many treatment choices for hypertension and type 2 diabetes, but these medications lower blood pressure or blood sugar via different mechanisms, and some medications may be more beneficial to the brain than the others. I am interested in the effects of different medications on aging-related outcomes, including time to dementia diagnosis or a stroke event. The aim of my research is to determine which treatments are better choices overall, as well as in certain subgroup of people, when these long-term aging-related outcomes are considered.