From stress to dementia risk: An examination of psychological, immunological, and neurobiological mechanisms underlying increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in widow(er)s

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dc.contributor.advisorFagundes, Christopher Pen_US
dc.creatorChung, E-Lim Lydia Wuen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-30T16:42:12Zen_US
dc.date.created2024-08en_US
dc.date.issued2024-07-29en_US
dc.date.submittedAugust 2024en_US
dc.date.updated2024-08-30T16:42:12Zen_US
dc.descriptionEMBARGO NOTE: This item is embargoed until 2025-08-01en_US
dc.description.abstractBeing widowed is associated with poorer cognitive function and higher incidence rates of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). The mechanisms underlying the link between spousal bereavement and ADRD risk remain relatively unexplored. Individual differences in health may be examined within a biopsychosocial framework, which posits that biological, psychological, and interpersonal factors independently and interactively affect health. For example, within the context of stress and ADRD, experiencing a significant psychological stressor, such as spousal bereavement, may be particularly detrimental for individuals who also display additional psychosocial and biological risk factors of ADRD. To understand how bereavement may enhance ADRD risk and which widow(er)s may be at heightened risk, I used psychological, immunological, and neuroimaging approaches to examine individual differences in neurocognitive health 1) between bereaved spouses and nonbereaved controls and 2) among bereaved spouses. Across 3 datasets, recently bereaved spouses and nonbereaved adults completed neuropsychological assessments, self-report questionnaires on psychosocial well-being, and provided venous blood samples for inflammatory assays. A subset of bereaved and nonbereaved adults also completed a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan for quantification of cortical thickness and provided blood samples for plasma amyloid beta assays. Widow(er)s and nonbereaved adults showed significant differences in working memory performance and brain morphology. Among widow(er)s, depressive symptoms and cortical thickness in ADRD-related brain regions were associated with several cognitive domains. The relationship between psychosocial well-being (e.g., depressive symptoms, loneliness) and cognitive inhibition depended on widow(er)s’ levels of systemic inflammation and cortical thinning in ADRD-related brain regions. Tentative relationships between inflammation, plasma amyloid, and cortical thickness were also observed. Findings suggest that differences in cognitive function and brain morphology among widow(er)s and between widow(er)s and nonbereaved adults are evident as early as the first few months of bereavement. Notably, the present study replicated patterns previously observed in the cognitive neuroscience and depression literature and identified novel, psychobiological mechanisms of neurocognitive aging. Beyond its contribution to the bereavement literature, this research broadens our understanding of the mechanisms linking stressful life events to increased disease risk.en_US
dc.embargo.lift2025-08-01en_US
dc.embargo.terms2025-08-01en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationChung, E-Lim Lydia Wu. From stress to dementia risk: An examination of psychological, immunological, and neurobiological mechanisms underlying increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in widow(er)s. (2024). PhD diss., Rice University. https://hdl.handle.net/1911/117803en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/117803en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectbiopsychosocialen_US
dc.subjectdepressionen_US
dc.subjectAlzheimer's diseaseen_US
dc.subjectinflammationen_US
dc.subjectcortical thicknessen_US
dc.subjectlonelinessen_US
dc.subjectwidowhooden_US
dc.subjectspousal bereavementen_US
dc.subjectgriefen_US
dc.subjectamyloiden_US
dc.subjectworking memoryen_US
dc.subjectexecutive functionen_US
dc.subjectoverall cognitive functionen_US
dc.subjectstressful life eventsen_US
dc.titleFrom stress to dementia risk: An examination of psychological, immunological, and neurobiological mechanisms underlying increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in widow(er)sen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPsychologyen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineSocial Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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