Life Course Cognitive Health
Our research focuses on understanding how experiences across the life course influence brain health and cognitive ageing.
The cognitive function of an individual is one of the most significant indicators of health. Dementia arises from a range of diseases and injuries that affect brain health. As of 2021, an estimated 57 million people worldwide lived with dementia, a number projected to more than double to 139 million by 2050 according to World Health Organisation (WHO). Dementia costs the global economy more than one trillion USD in 2019, with approximately 50% of these costs attributable to informal carers, such as family members and close friends. It is a substantial burden for both society and individual families with informal caring averaging around five hours of care and supervision every day.
Although there is currently no cure for dementia, much can be done throughout people's lives: early intervention can make an impact and attenuate the risks of diagnosis.
Our research focuses on understanding how experiences across the life course influence brain health and cognitive ageing.
Our first primary programme, Blossom, focuses how childhood adversity experiences affect cognitive function in later life. We aim to identify the critical protective factors that may mitigate these adverse effects and improve long-term cognitive outcomes.
Across the life span, the Lancet Commission has identified 14 modifiable risk factors that could potentially prevent or delay roughly 40% of dementia cases. Our research programme, Modify, investigates the impact of these risk factors while also exploring additional and emerging factors contributing to dementia risk.
Our group work is integrated within Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Data Portal and draws upon large-scale population data from 43 countries. We have developed internationally adopted methodologies for harmonising large-scale cohort data, including the C-Surv ontology, which is currently used across multiple global dementia platforms. We have also pioneered population-level multi-model data science approaches combining large-scale datasets, neuroimaging, genomic, and multidisciplinary theory to investigate the long-term impacts of early-life adversity on brain health.
Based at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford, we actively collaborate with international institutes across multiple time zones, leveraging global partnerships as a key strength in addressing this worldwide challenge.
Our team
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Sarah Bauermeister
Associate Professor, PI Life Course Cognitive Health, Co-Director BrainWaves
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Morgane Kuenzi
Postdoctoral Researcher Blossom Early Adversity & Brain Health Programme, Dementias Platform UK (DPUK)
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Maria Bunyan
DPhil Student
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Abhaya Adlakha
Researcher
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Kirti Tanwar
DPhil student
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James Lian
Postdoctoral Researcher
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Pippa Watson
DPhil Student
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Jiahui Huang
Administration & Research Assistant
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Manjistha Datta
DPHIL STUDENT
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Meggie Smith
Research Assistant (Data Curation)
Our Research Aims
The Life Course Cognitive Health Programme aims to understand the factors that shape brain health across the lifespan. This includes the biopsychosocial determinants that influence how we think, understand, and interpret the world around us. An individual’ s Brain health is influenced by factors across their lifespan, from early- to old-age. Its determinants vary according to age and life experience.
The programme includes two core strands: Blossom and Modify, which focus on childhood adversities and modifiable risk factors for dementia. Our LifeBrain Consortium, will bring together international researchers and data platforms to advance a life course approach to brain health, forming one of the largest global collaborations in this.
Partnerships and Fundings
Medical Sciences Division (MRC)
Marie-Curie Fellowship
The COVID Global Mental Health Consortium (CGMHC)
the Korean Brain Research Institute (KBRI)
Dementias Platform Australia