Karthik A's Senior Project Blog
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Project Title: Physical Activity and Neurodegeneration: Exploring Resilience in High-Risk Carotid Endarectomy Patients BASIS Advisor: Matt Johnston Internship Location: Weinkauf Lab, Sarver Heart Center Onsite Mentor: Craig Weinkauf |
Project Abstract
This project investigated the relationship between physical activity and resilience to neurodegeneration in older adults at high cardiovascular risk. Drawing on evidence that high cardiovascular risk factors increase the likelihood of cognitive decline, this study will focus on whether elevated Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) scores are associated with better cognitive outcomes (e.g., higher Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores) and lower markers of pathology (pTau-217 levels). Despite clear links between cardiovascular health and brain health, the mechanisms by which some individuals remain cognitively resilient remain poorly understood. Understanding this connection is significant because it may offer new strategies for preventing or delaying the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. If physical activity can indeed buffer against cognitive decline, interventions aimed at increasing activity could become a cost-effective, non-pharmacological approach to preserving cognitive function in at-risk populations. Data collection and analysis took place at the Weinkauf Lab, a lab equipped with advanced diagnostic tools and patient records, making it an ideal site for this study. The center’s comprehensive patient database provides critical information on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, pTau-217, PASE scores, and MOCA assessments, all of which will be transcribed into a standardized spreadsheet for analysis. Methodologically, the study employed the Wilcoxon rank sum test and linear regressions in R to assess statistical relationships between physical activity levels and cognitive or pathological markers. The ultimate goal is to determine whether higher PASE scores correlate with resilience to neurodegeneration, thereby contributing valuable insight to both preventive and clinical care strategies.
Week 11 Update
Hey everyone! This week I was able to finish up my presentation slides and got feedback from my lab saying it was good to go! I am also almost done with my final project as I need to add some finishing touches, which shouldn't take too long. I am on a good pace to finish... Read More
Week 10 Update
Hey everyone! This week I worked more on my final project and got more input from my PI for how to format it. It definitely feels great to finally have data that I worked hard for over the last several weeks and make a presentation out of it. I've been consulting the rest of my... Read More
Week 9 Update
Hey everyone! This week I changed some of the parameters of my data after speaking to my PI last week, and unfortunately, it was still insignificant. Considering the time left in the project, I will just present what data I have. I have also started working on my presentation, and am close to finishing that... Read More
Week 8 Update
Hey everyone! This week I started to get my first set of data, and unfortunately, it was insignificant. After discussing with my PI, we are going to be changing some of the variables to see what differences we can get. Namely, we won't be looking at the overall PASE score anymore, instead, we will look... Read More
Week 7 Update
Hey everyone! This week saw major strides towards the end of my project. I finished learning everything I needed to in the R software package and almost finished moving everything in my spreadsheet to the software. It was definitely very rewarding see how I was able to instantly put to use something I learned. I... Read More
Week 6 Update
Hello everyone! This week wasn't that eventful, but my project is still going along smoothly! I mainly focused on reading more on confounding variables and the best way to account for those. These include age, sex, education level, and many other variables that may confound my research. I also got new data to look at,... Read More
Week 5 Update
Hey everyone! It was nice to start working on my project after taking a relaxing spring break! This week I started to work more on the data analysis aspect of my project. I will be using the "R" software package, so I mainly worked on importing the data into the software. Other than that, I... Read More
Week 4 Update: Spring Break!
Hey Everyone! This week I decided to take my spring break in order to prepare better for one of my interviews! I'll be back with a new post next Friday March 14th, so make sure to tune in then! Read More
Week 3 Update
Hey everyone! This week saw a major development in my project. This week I got a significant portion of my data collection done, so I decided to find the cutoff for the Carotid Intima-Media thickness value I would use for cardiovascular risk. At first, I was very confused on how to do this, but after... Read More
Week 2 Update
Hey everyone! This week went smoothly for my project. I mainly worked on two aspects. The first is continuing my readings from last week, specifically focusing on brushing up more about cardiovascular risk and neurodegeneration and what has been established already in that area. The second thing was ramping up the process of collecting data.... Read More
Week One Post
Hello everyone! This week in my senior research project was very eventful. I first read up on several research papers regarding exercise, neurodegeneration, and high cardiovascular-risk patients. This refreshed my knowledge of what research was already out there in my topic. I then started to collect my data, specifically the marker of exercise I am... Read More
Introductory Blog Post
Hello everyone! I'm Karthik Ainapurapu, and I'm a senior at BASIS Tucson North. This blog will provide week-by-week documentation as I work on my Senior Research Project researching how exercise and neurodegeneration are correlated in high cardiovascular risk patients. I am interested in this topic due to my own family history of cardiovascular disease. I'll... Read More