The Center for the Study of Aging at Boise State University is committed to building interdisciplinary teams for the purpose of investigating successful aging and the prevention, and treatment of age-related diseases and conditions.
Research Spotlight
After a brief Hiatus, the Center has emerged with the following four projects.
Drs. Sydney Boutros, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science and Javier Ochoa-Repáraz, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences are using a mouse model to study the extent to which chemicals found in common pesticides may cause or contribute to the development of Parkinson’s Disease. This study is supported in part by a pilot grant from the Center.
Dr. Shuqi Zhang, Associate professor of Kinesiology is pursuing the implementation of a home-based activity program for patients with Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias. AS a part of her study Dr. Zhang is developing software applications that will interface with wearable devices and allow practitioners and family members the opportunity to effectively monitor the activity patterns of patients who have mild to moderate dementia. This work is sponsored in part by a pilot award from the Center for the Study of Aging.
Drs. Dinesh Verma and Yonghwan Kim (Neuroscience Program) are exploring the potential use of Treeshrews as a novel model to study Parkinson’s Disease. Treeshrews resemble rodents such as squirrels, but are considered primate-like mammals. The anatomy of their brains may offer a model far more similar to humans than other commonly studied rodents such as mice or rats. The project is a collaboration with the Boise Veterans Administration, and is supported in part by a pilot grant from the Center for the Study of Aging. BSU veterinarian, Katie Johnson is also providing critical support for this work.
Dr. Bob Wood, Director for the School of Allied Health Sciences and undergraduate student Kayla Tran are collaborating with Saint Alphonsus Memory Center Director and Geriatrician Kara Kuntz on two projects. The first is an examination of the extent to which anti-cholinergic medications may be affecting cognitive and physical function in the Memory Center Patients. A second project will examine the impact of an intervention designed to reduce caregiver burden in family members of patients living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.