Alzheimer’s Disease, Cognitive Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Angela Jefferson
Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center
Department of Neurology
2525 West End Avenue, 12th Floor – Suite 1200
615-322-8676 (office)
angela.jefferson@vanderbilt.edu
Dr. Jefferson’s interdisciplinary programmatic research focuses on discovering underlying mechanisms for unhealthy cognitive changes in older adults, such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, for the purpose of informing prevention and therapeutic targets.
Dr. Jefferson’s research team has a particular interest in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health associated with cognitive changes, as many factors associated with vascular health are modifiable and ideal for prevention or therapeutic intervention.
Specific areas of interest include (1) examining relations between cardiac function and blood flow to the brain and its impact on brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology; (2) researching alterations and diseases of vascular biology, such as inflammation and hypertension, in connection with brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology; and (3) understanding the etiology of cerebrovascular changes, such as white matter alterations, and relations between white matter degradation and abnormal brain aging.
Dr. Jefferson’s research program also focuses on discovering and implementing early detection methods for abnormal cognitive aging among older adults and refining the diagnostic profile for mild cognitive impairment.
For more information, please visit the lab website.