Nicolas Rohleder, PhDBACK

Assistant Professor, Brandeis University

Determinants and Consequences of the Acute Stress-induced Inflammatory Response in Human Aging

Rates of aging may be affected by how people handle stress. Dr. Rohleder's research will test the healthy and unhealthy response patterns of older adults to stress to determine if specific patterns affect biological, emotional and cognitive aging. One focus of the project will be the acute stress response of the inflammatory system, which has been associated with age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some forms of cancer. The project will serve as the basis for a longitudinal study in which participants are tracked for up to five years to test long-term health consequences of specific response patterns. Understanding the effects of stress may allow for better preventative interventions that could result in healthier aging.