The Scientists Behind The Brain Resilience Study
Hidden connections: How sleep and life experience are written into the brain’s wiring
As the Brain Resilience Study continues to generate new insights into the aging brain, the scientists behind the work bring with them a range of backgrounds and motivations. Their curiosity is shaping what we know, and how we think about, brain resilience in aging. At the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver, the team shared some of their latest work.
One of those researchers is Dr. Leanne Rokos, a research technician at INN whose career has spanned the full arc of brain development. She earned her PhD building computational models of children鈥檚 brains, work that has implications for understanding conditions like ADHD. Dr. Rokos now brings that same approach to the Brain Resilience Study, where her research looks beyond the brain to explore how our health, environments, and life experiences shape cognitive aging. We sat down with her to hear more.
鈥淧eople live very different lives,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭hey experience different stressors, have different levels of access to education or resources, and all of these factors can influence cognitive health.鈥�
One key area of focus in Dr. Rokos' research is sleep. Many people may be familiar with the short-term effects of sleep deprivation, such as difficulty concentrating after pulling an all-nighter. Dr. Rokos' work highlights its deeper connection to long-term brain health.
鈥淪leep is interesting because it鈥檚 not only linked to cognitive functioning, but it鈥檚 also something we can change,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat makes it a really important factor when thinking about supporting cognitive health as we age.鈥�
One of the recent findings from her work points to sex differences in aging. Among older participants, poor sleep quality was linked to changes in brain wiring and lower performance in learning and memory tasks. This association was more prominent in women than in men, suggesting that sleep may play a particularly important role in brain and cognitive health outcomes for older women.
To make sense of these complex relationships, Dr. Rokos uses multivariate statistical modelling, an approach that allows her to examine many factors at once and helps to uncover patterns and interactions that might otherwise be missed.
Her findings reinforce the importance of expanding how we study cognitive aging. Traditional approaches have largely focused on changes in the brain alone. By bringing in lifestyle factors and other biological variables alongside brain data, this kind of multivariate approach builds a more comprehensive picture of what shapes cognitive health. Crucially, it also brings us closer to understanding aging at the individual level. Rather than broad patterns that may or may not apply to any given person, this approach helps identify the specific combination of factors that matter most for each individual.
At its core, Dr. Rokos hopes her research leaves people with a sense of agency.
鈥淭here is hope,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f we focus on modifiable factors like sleep, there鈥檚 potential to support better cognitive outcomes in the future.鈥�
That potential depends on continued investment in the work. A priority for the team is ensuring the sample reflects the full diversity of how people live and age. The broader and more varied the research, the more precisely its findings can apply to each of us. You can support this work and help us build a more complete picture of how we all age. Support the Brain Resilience Study 鈫�