cognitive decline

January 24, 2023

How arterial “stiffness” may impair cognition

New findings from Vanderbilt neurologists suggest that cardiovascular disease may increase the spaces surrounding blood vessels in the brain and lead to cognitive decline.

By Kelsey Pinckard
July 15, 2021

Arterial stiffening linked to Alzheimer’s disease

A research team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports in Neurology that greater stiffening of the aorta, the main artery in the human body, is associated in older adults with increased Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology as reflected in a range of neurochemical indicators measured in cerebrospinal fluid.

By Paul Govern
October 19, 2020

Depression and the brain-age gap

Older depressed adults show accelerated brain aging, according to a new study from Vanderbilt researchers, who suggest that the effects of depression may speed the decline in cognitive functions in older individuals.

By Sarah E. Glass
September 3, 2020

New clue to Alzheimer’s disease

Combining studies of genetically diverse mouse populations and human data led to the identification of a gene associated with cognitive decline and brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease.

By Bill Snyder
February 27, 2020

Grant bolsters research on subjective cognitive decline

Katherine Gifford, PsyD, MS, assistant professor of Neurology, has been awarded a five-year, $4.3 million research grant from the National Institute on Aging to study what subjective cognitive decline can reveal about underlying pathology.

By Paul Govern
March 21, 2019

Small vessel disease MRI marker linked to worse cognitive health in older adults

Enlarged perivascular spaces, which are commonly seen on brain MRIs in older adults, have important associations with worse cognitive performance, particularly information processing speed and executive function, according to a new study that challenges historical consideration that perivascular spaces are a harmless imaging marker.

By Holly Fletcher
March 14, 2019

New way to stimulate learning?

Vagus nerve stimulation could be beneficial for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, Vanderbilt research findings suggest.
By Bill Snyder
June 2, 2016

Tool sought for doctors to quickly identify patients at risk for cognitive decline

Katherine Gifford, Psy.D., is testing simple questions to see which ones yield the most reliable results as she develops a questionnaire for primary care providers to quickly identify patients at risk for cognitive decline.
By Tom Wilemon