Loneliness and Brain Health Webinar
Join us for an insightful webinar exploring the fascinating connection between loneliness, brain health, and your memory. Recent research highlights how loneliness, a growing public health concern, impacts not only mental well-being but also brain health, influencing risks for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. This webinar will discuss the biological mechanisms linking loneliness to brain changes, the effects on memory and cognitive function, and the importance of social connections in maintaining brain health. Perfect for anyone wanting to better understand how lifestyle and mental health intersect with physical health, especially as we age.
Loneliness and Brain Health: Understanding the Link to Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Decline
Date: December 12, 2024
Time: 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET for 60 minutes
Presenter: Patrick Lao, PhD
Co-Presenter: Lisa Barnes, PhD
Host: Chris Walling, PsyD, MBA, FABP, C-IAYT
Learning Objectives
- Understand the Connection Between Loneliness and Brain Health
- Explore Biological Mechanisms Linking Loneliness to Alzheimer’s and Dementia
- Identify Practical Steps for Reducing Loneliness and Supporting Brain Health
Your Esteemed Speakers:
Patrick Lao, PhD
Patrick Lao earned his Ph.D. in Medical Physics, using the principles of radiation to create meaningful medical images. These neuroimaging biomarkers can be used to non-invasively assess disease pathology during an individual’s lifetime, not just at autopsy. Dr. Lao studies genetic, biological, social, and environmental contributions to cerebrovascular disease, neuroinflammation, and Alzheimer’s disease. He is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he supervises the Alzheimer’s Disease And PeT (ADAPT) Imaging laboratory.
Lisa L. Barnes, Ph.D.
Lisa L. Barnes, Ph.D. is the Alla V. and Solomon Jesmer Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine and a cognitive neuropsychologist within the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center. She is also the Associate Director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in biopsychology and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience at the University of California, Davis. She joined the faculty of Rush as an assistant professor in 1999. Dr. Barnes has received many NIH grants and has published close to 300 manuscripts. Her research interests include disparities in chronic diseases of aging, cognitive decline, and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. She is the Principal Investigator of two longitudinal community-based studies of older African Americans, including the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS), which has been funded by NIA since 2004. She advocates for the recruitment of under-represented groups into clinical studies and has received many awards and fellowships.
Can’t make it live? Don’t fret! Register and you’ll get exclusive access to the recording.