Research Assistant: Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Brain Aging, and Dementia

Introduction to the topic:

An estimated one in six people worldwide will be over the age of 65 in 2050. Global population aging is a success story, but an aging society also comes with significant challenges, including a growing burden of age-related conditions like cardiometabolic disease and dementia.

Cardiometabolic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.) have been shown to increase the risk of developing dementia, but the mechanisms underlying this remain unclear, and there is an urgent need to identify strategies to preserve cognitive and brain health among the growing number of people with poor cardiometabolic health. Key questions in this growing field include: How do cardiometabolic diseases impact cognitive decline and the development of cognitive impairment? What is the impact of cardiometabolic disease on brain structure and brain pathologies? Can lifestyle factors mitigate the increased risk of dementia among people with cardiometabolic diseases?

Addressing these issues is important for identifying individuals at high risk of dementia as well as developing strategies for dementia prevention in today’s aging world.

Project details:

As a Research Assistant on this project, you will work with a research group based in the multi-disciplinary Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute. The neuroepidemiology research group studies the relationship between cardiometabolic health and dementia, with a focus on identifying modifiable factors that can improve cognitive and brain health in people with cardiometabolic diseases. The research is epidemiological in nature (i.e. computer-based, no wet-lab component) and involves working with data from large longitudinal studies on medical conditions, cognitive function, brain MRI, lifestyle factors, and genetic/metabolic biomarkers, as well as their changes over time.

As a Research Assistant, you will be involved in identifying a specific research question based on gaps in the literature; learning how to conduct the appropriate statistical analyses; drafting and editing the manuscript; and participating in the peer review process.

Selected relevant publications:

Dove A, Wang J, Huang H, Dunk MM, Sakakibara S, Guitart-Masip M, Papenberg G, Xu W. (2024) “Diabetes, prediabetes, and brain aging: the role of healthy lifestyle.” Diabetes Care 47(10): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-0860
Dove A, Dunk MM, Wang J, Guo J, Whitmer RA, Xu W. (2024) “Anti-inflammatory diet and dementia in older adults with cardiometabolic diseases.” JAMA Network Open 7(8): e2427125. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.2712
Dove A, Guo J, Marseglia A, Fastbom J, Vetrano DL, Fratiglioni L, Pedersen N, Xu W. (2023) “Cardiometabolic multimorbidity and incident dementia: the Swedish twin registry.” European Heart Journal 44(7): 573-582. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehac744

Prerequisites

At least one university-level course in neuroscience or related discipline (to ensure sufficient background knowledge about dementia).

Additional application required

You must submit an additional application through the Online Registration portal.

All application materials must be submitted on the following dates by midnight in your time zone:

November 1 for spring semester applicants
May 1 for fall semester applicants

Complete your application through Student Registration.

Syllabus

Spring 2025

Go to syllabus

This is a draft syllabus. The final syllabus will be available here a few days prior to the new course’s first start date.

Recommended experience

While previous research experience is a plus, please note that prior experience with Stata/R or epidemiological methods is not necessarily required

Faculty

Coming Soon

Faculty

The faculty teaching this course will be listed here soon.

Research Assistantship FAQ

Learn more about research at DIS.

: Earning authorship within the course of a semester is challenging. Exceptional Research Assistants may be considered for co-authorship, subject to evaluation from the supervising Research Mentor.

Though you may not ultimately become an author on a published paper, you will gain many practical skills and insights into the publication process.

: Many research projects last across several semesters, so not all RAs on the same project will conduct the same research.

: On average, students in 3-credit Research Assistantships spend at least 10 hours a week on research tasks. These 10 hours per week consist of a variety of different research-related tasks, including conducting a literature review, data collection, analyses, coding, documentation, and meetings with your mentor. You may decide on a particular block of time (consistent each week) for you to carry out the work, or adjust it on a week-by-week basis.

Students in a 6-credit Research Assistantships spend an average of 20 hours per week with lab and clinically based research tasks. You decide the exact meeting and lab times with your supervisor, but your schedule consists of classes at DIS two days a week, with two days a week in the lab.

There may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistant students are expected to spend a few more hours, and then possibly fewer hours another week – to reflect the individual research project and process.

: Work for the 3-credit Research Assistantships may take place outside DIS, on your own time at a location of your choosing, or at DIS – this varies from project to project. The 6-credit research assistantships generally take place at labs in Copenhagen or Stockholm outside DIS.

: Students with a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the 3-credit Research Assistant course. While some courses do have prerequisites, many opportunities do not require prior research experience.

The 6-credit Research Assistant opportunity is designed for highly motivated students who have a strong science background within the field of interest and some basic research experience. The student must be willing to commit a large portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and medical institutes in Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Introduction to the topic:

Project details:

Prerequisites

Additional application required

Syllabus

Spring 2025

Recommended experience

Faculty

Coming Soon

Research Assistantship FAQ

Will I publish a research paper?

What exactly will I do?

What is the time commitment for a 3-credit or 6-credit Research Assistantship?

Where is the research work carried out?

What type of student applies for the 3- and 6-credit Research Assistant courses?