My research investigates the role that cardiovascular health plays in cognitive ageing. Many cognitive abilities decline with age, although there are marked differences between individuals in the rate and extent of decline. This diversity in ageing trajectories may be partly underpinned by multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Recent evidence indicates that these risk factors each make independent and additive contributions to neuroanatomical ageing. To investigate the mechanisms through which vascular and other lifestyle risk factors affect multiple domains of cognition, I am using multivariate and data-driven modelling techniques in the large cross-sectional Cam-CAN cohort (www.cam-can.org).
