Chronic Medical Disease and Cognitive Aging ― Toward a Healthy Body and Brain

Chronic Medical Disease and Cognitive Aging: Toward a Healthy Body and Brain explores the important and often overlooked connection between how chronic medical diseases of the body can affect cognitive function and brain health. As population demographics shift to that of an aging population it has become more important to understand and improve cognitive function in late life. Chronic medical diseases often increase the risk of cognitive impairment, and those with cognitive impairment may be less able to effectively manage their medical conditions, suggesting a reciprocal relationship may exist where medical disease impacts cognition that in turn may exacerbate physical health.

Chronic Medical Disease and Cognitive Aging discusses current research on the association between a variety of chronic medical diseases and cognition and, where appropriate, promising interventions or accepted treatment strategies. While a cure for many diseases continues to be elusive, insights garnered from the interplay between diseases of the body and mind may help point the way to novel therapeutic strategies to improve cognitive function in late life.

Kristine Yaffe, MD, is a Roy and Marie Scola Endowed Chair in Psychiatry and professor of psychiatry, neurology, and epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco and Director of the Memory Disorders clinic at San Francisco Veteran's Administration Medical Center. Dr. Yaffe's research focuses on determining predictors, biological mechanisms, and outcomes of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults, with the goal of identifying modifiable risk factors that may lead to novel strategies to prevent cognitive decline. She has received numerous grants from the NIH, DOD and private foundations and has published over 200 articles in prestigious journals.