天美传媒

Assistant Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences Azizah J. Jor鈥檇an to Look at Impact of Brain Stimulation on Link Between Cognition and Balance Control

鈥� We鈥檝e already shown that it works; now we鈥檙e getting into why it works. 鈥�

Aging, especially in Alzheimer鈥檚 or type 2 diabetes patients, alters brain function and affects how you walk and stand. The College of Nursing and Health Sciences鈥檚 newest exercise and health sciences professor completed a two-year mentored phase (K099) on a National Institute on Aging-funded Pathway to Independence Career Development Award at the VA Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School. Azizah Jor鈥檇an is now transitioning to the three-year independent phase (R00) of her project, which looks at how brain stimulation can be used as a way to improve cognition and balance control when standing and walking in patients with Alzheimer鈥檚 or diabetes.

鈥淏rain stimulation is not new, but we鈥檙e still trying to answer different questions: the dosing and what鈥檚 needed to sustain brain function,鈥� said Jor鈥檇an, an assistant professor of exercise and health sciences.

One of Jor鈥檇an鈥檚 mentors and a coinvestigator on her study is Brad Manor, the director of the Mobility and Brain Function Program at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew Senior Life. Jor鈥檇an says brain stimulation has been used to treat mental illnesses and addiction; Manor uses it to improve mobility in patients with Parkinson鈥檚 and other vulnerable populations.

鈥淲e鈥檝e already shown that it works; now we鈥檙e getting into why it works,鈥� Jor鈥檇an said. 鈥淭he ultimate reason why we鈥檙e looking at this relationship between mind and body is to improve the quality of life of older adults. We鈥檙e finding that older adults with age-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, also have deficits in cognition and vascular function, which puts these older adults at a higher risk for falls. Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in older adults, so we鈥檙e looking into what we can do to intervene so that these individuals can have long, independent, and healthy lives.鈥�

Jor鈥檇an anticipates that by this summer, she鈥檒l be bringing in 100 older adults from the Boston area, half with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer鈥檚 and the other half with type 2 diabetes. First, their brain function and oxygen levels will be measured and their gait and balance checked. Participants will then get transcranial direct current stimulation for 20 minutes. After the brain stimulation, the brain function and balance will be retested. Stimulation will be repeated for an additional nine subsequent sessions, which will include follow-up visits. She welcomes any undergrads or graduate students interested in doing this work to contact her.

Jor鈥檇an most recently taught at Harvard Medical School, as an instructor in psychiatry. As a PhD student at the University of Minnesota and then a postdoc at Harvard Medical School, the Chicago native focused on gerontology, but as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, she worked with children at risk for developmental coordination disorder, a motor skills disorder that affects five to six percent of all school-aged children.

鈥淚 started to take classes in gerontology, and I was really intrigued,鈥� Jor鈥檇an said. 鈥淥f course I want my parents and other family members to live long, healthy lives. Sadly, my uncle passed away from cardiovascular disease and he also had type 2 diabetes.鈥�

Before coming to UMass Boston, Jor鈥檇an worked on the Mobilize Boston Study along with Professor of Nursing Suzanne Leveille. She says it鈥檚 this and the other research that the diverse faculty and students are doing here that made her want to apply.

鈥淭his seems like a place that I could call home and build my research program and establish independency, not too far away from where I trained for seven years, and still leverage the different resources that I have at Harvard, Hebrew Senior Life, Massachusetts General Hospital 鈥� to know that those people are just a call away,鈥� Jor鈥檇an said.

About UMass Boston
The 天美传媒 is deeply rooted in the city's history, yet poised to address the challenges of the future. Recognized for innovative research, metropolitan Boston鈥檚 public university offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston鈥檚 天美传媒s and graduate schools serve 16,000 students while engaging local and global constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service. To learn more, visit www.umb.edu.