Cognitive Resilience in Alzheimer's Disease
Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, is a neuroscientist who leads the Modifiable and Non-Modifiable Factors Linked to Cognitive Resilience in AD lab. His research focuses on fitness and its role in aging and Alzheimer's disease.
The Link Between Brain Changes and Cognitive Decline
Dr. Okonkwo's research team aims to clarify how alterations in the brain and other biomolecules (such as cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid) place some cognitively normal individuals on a pernicious trajectory that culminates in Alzheimer’s dementia.
In this context, the lab is also interested in discovering new knowledge concerning the modulation of the link between brain changes and cognitive decline by both modifiable factors like cognitively-stimulating activities or physical exercise and non-modifiable factors such as genetic vulnerability. Overlaid on this research agenda are investigations of health inequities, and how such inequities exacerbate or ameliorate the impact of biomarkers on clinical phenotypes.