Current Projects and Collaborations
Cognition And Metabolism in Pre-diabeteS
The Cognition and Metabolism in Prediabetes is a pilot study that seeks to examine intra- and inter-day variability in glucose regulation in individuals at risk for diabetes as it relates to learning, memory, and attention. This study will yield a deeper understanding of the extent to which this novel aspect of glycemia influences cognitive aging and functional decline early in T2DM pathophysiology. We are actively recruiting participants for this study and currently examining preliminary data.
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Building upon this pilot study, we are conducting an NIH-funded, R21-level grant that allows us to recruit more participants and examine the following:
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The association of glycemic fluctuations with cognitive dysfunction in episodic memory and executive functions, key domains that show decrements both early in the AD trajectory, and in pre-diabetes
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Explore, for the first time, the association of glycemic fluctuations with well-established biomarkers of early AD risk.
Research Data Collaboration
Read more about nationally representative datasets we often utilize in our research below.
The Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) project is a longitudinal epidemiological study conducted in Baltimore City, MD. The primary objective was to explore how sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors impact the persistent age-related disparities in health and disease.
Participants were recruited from 13 census tracts in Baltimore City from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. We have used this data for a number of studies, including a project examining the associations of anxiety symptoms, heart rate variability, and race with longitudinal trajectories of glucose regulation.
Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is a community-based cross-sectional probability sample of self-identified Hispanic/Latino individuals aged 18-74 years. The goal of this study was to provide information on the health status and disease risk of the Hispanic/Latino community living in the U.S. and investigate the relationships between risk factors and disease incidence.
We utilized this data to examine the association between several psychological factors and undiagnosed diabetes using structural equation modeling (SEM) to more precisely and reliably examine the psychological constructs.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a series of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults in the US. These annual surveys, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), combine both physical examinations and interviews providing a wealth of information to be leveraged by researchers in the field of behavioral medicine.
Within our lab, we have used the data to specifically examine the association between acculturation and type 2 diabetes risk perception. Studies like this one can hopefully provide critical information in helping shape targeted screening and prevention efforts for communities at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.