Research

Behavioral Implications among Older Adults in Social Isolation (BI-OASIS)

In daily life, most people do not have an opportunity to regularly talk to someone significantly older or younger than them. However, scientific studies have shown the benefits of these “inter-generational interactions” on both generations. This new study is focused on examining the impacts of inter-generational interactions and relationships on young and old adults, as well as studying social isolation and loneliness in older adults.

Brain Amyloid and Cognition in Normal elderly (Normal Aging)

As people age, their brains change. While many changes are normal, others may be signs of potential health problems. The purpose of the Normal Aging study is to help researchers better understand how certain types of changes in brain imaging scans may be related to changes in mental performance. Studying the process of normal aging can greatly help researchers better understand common age related neurological disorders. 

Neural Mechanisms of Monoaminergic Engagement in Late-Life Depression Treatment Response (NEMO)

Depression can occur at any stage in life, including older age. Depression that occurs in later life can pose distinct challenges, particularly with regard to treatment. Although treatment response to medication can take up to 8 weeks, neuroimaging data during the initiation of medication may help predict who will respond to medication. This research program is designed to identify brain responses to medication and see how they predict remission of depressive symptoms.

Cerebrovascular Basis for Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease Risk (SDAR)

The purpose of the SDAR study is to examine cardiovascular risk, and whether cardiovascular disease may explain some of the changes that occur in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Hormonal changes that occur due to aging may also explainindividual differences in cardiovascular risk, and therefore Alzheimer’s disease. If this research shows that cardiovascular disease and hormones are in fact related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, practitioners will be able to better prevent this disease in the future by focusing on treating these risk factors. This research may also help to explain why women are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Investigation of the Risk Architecture of Loneliness: Neural Social Reward and Pathological Aging (LASR)

Having alone time can be important, but  loneliness can have a detrimental effect on one’s wellbeing. The purpose of the LASR study is to understand how loneliness contributes to the aging processes that occur in the brain. The findings from this study may guide treatment for psychiatric disorders and improve the quality of life.

High Performance Ultrahigh Field Imaging for Characterization of Small Vessel Disease in Vascular Depression (SVD)

Depression is a serious illness that affects about 2 million older adults each year.  Researchers do not fully understand depression in older adults, but some evidence suggests that age-related changes to the small blood vessels in the brain may play a role.  The purpose of this study is to help better understand brain processes in older adults with and without depression. Researchers hope their findings will lead to better ways to manage and treat depression in older adults in the future. 

Functional and Neurochemical Substrates of Amygdala-Frontal Circuitry across Development and Anxiety (FANSDA)

It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time, but ongoing anxiety and worry that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities may be a sign of generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder has symptoms that are similar to panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other types of anxiety. This study is focused on uncovering differences in brain development between young adults with anxiety and those with no history of mental illness.

Relevant Publications

Huang Y, Faruque S, Wu M, Mizuno A, Diniz E, Yang S, Stetten GD, Schweitzer N, Jin H, Wang L, Aizenstein HJ. Leveraging The Finite States of Emotion Processing to Study Late-Life Mental Health. arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.03414. 2024 Mar 6.

Aizenstein H, Moore RC, Vahia I, Ciarleglio A. Deep learning and geriatric mental health. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2023 Dec 5.

Taylor WD, Aizenstein HJ, Alexopoulos G. The vascular depression hypothesis: mechanisms linking vascular disease with depression. Molecular psychiatry. 2013 Sep;18(9):963-74.

Wu M, Rosano C, Butters M, Whyte E, Nable M, Crooks R, Meltzer CC, Reynolds III CF, Aizenstein HJ. A fully automated method for quantifying and localizing white matter hyperintensities on MR images. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. 2006 Dec 1;148(2-3):133-42.

Aizenstein HJ, Butters MA, Wu M, Mazurkewicz LM, Stenger VA, Gianaros PJ, Becker JT, Reynolds III CF, Carter CS. Altered functioning of the executive control circuit in late-life depression: episodic and persistent phenomena. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2009 Jan 1;17(1):30-42.

Aizenstein HJ, Khalaf A, Walker SE, Andreescu C. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Predictors of Treatment Response in Late-Life Depression. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology. 2014;27(1):24-32. doi:10.1177/0891988713516541

Andreescu C, Varon D. New research on anxiety disorders in the elderly and an update on evidence-based treatments. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015 Jul;17(7):53. doi: 10.1007/s11920-015-0595-8. PMID: 25980510.

Andreescu C, Sheu LK, Tudorascu D, Gross JJ, Walker S, Banihashemi L, Aizenstein H. Emotion reactivity and regulation in late-life generalized anxiety disorder: functional connectivity at baseline and post-treatment. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015 Feb;23(2):200-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2014.05.003. Epub 2014 May 17. PMID: 24996397; PMCID: PMC4234701.

Karim HT, Andreescu C, Tudorascu D, Smagula SF, Butters MA, Karp JF, Reynolds C, Aizenstein HJ. Intrinsic functional connectivity in late-life depression: trajectories over the course of pharmacotherapy in remitters and non-remitters. Mol Psychiatry. 2017 Mar;22(3):450-457. doi: 10.1038/mp.2016.55. Epub 2016 Apr 19. PMID: 27090303; PMCID: PMC5322273.