Current Research Projects
Our current research projects are to:
1) investigate whether and how exposure to environmental neurotoxicants, such as air pollution and heavy metals including lead and cadmium, may perturb adult neurogenesis (the generation of functional neurons in the adult brain) and impair olfaction and cognition
2) test the hypothesis that environmental factors and gene-environment interactions (GXE) may increase Alzheimer’s disease risk and accelerate cognitive decline
3) investigate potential sex differences on disease susceptibility upon exposure to environmental neurotoxicants
4) identify window of susceptibility during development to environmental exposures
5) identify mechanisms and strategies to mitigate the adverse effect of environmental exposure on cognitive impairment
6) explore the role of microbiome in cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration upon environmental exposures