Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center Seminar
“Brain Microcirculation, Systemic Diseases and Cognitive Decline”
Prof. Yasemin Gürsoy Özdemir
Koç University
Date/Time: Friday, December 27th, 12:40 pm
Place: Seminar Room, SC 106
Abstract: Cognitive decline and dementia have become a major healthcare problem, as the mean life span of humans is getting longer. Similarly, the prevalence of systemic diseases like metabolic syndrome (MetS), type-2 diabetes (T2DM) as well as hypertension (HT) is also increasing worldwide and there is a positive correlation between MetS, type-1 diabetes (T1DM), T2DM, HT and the occurrence of cognitive decline. These disorders lead to chronic microcirculatory changes in the brain termed as cerebral small vessel disease. There is a strong association between small vessel arteriosclerosis and cognitive decline. 7-13% of dementia cases above age 60 are associated with T2DM. People with T2DM have a higher risk of developing any type of dementia and are two times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 47% of the population has HT in the USA and this ratio reaches over 70% after 55 years. HT itself has a strong association with small vessel disease and arterial stiffness. Cranial MRI lesions, found in nearly 80% of the population older than 60 years of age, are closely associated with HT. Cells of the blood-brain barrier may have roles in this cerebral small vessel disease. In this talk, microcirculatory changes in animal models of DM, HT and Multiple Sclerosis will be discussed.
About the Speaker: Yasemin Gürsoy Özdemir obtained her medical education at Hacettepe University during 1985-1992. She completed her residency and Neuroscience Ph.D. at Hacettepe University, in 1992-1997 and 1997-2001 respectively. She worked as a Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, Neurovascular Regulation and Stroke lab between 2001 and 2004. After the postdoctoral study, she returned back to Turkey and worked as an Assistant, Associate and Full Professor at Hacettepe University, Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry between 2004 and 2014. She has been working at Koç University, School of Medicine since 2014. She was involved in the establishment of the Neuroscience Program and Neurology Department. She has been the director of the Graduate School of Health Sciences since 2016. Her main research areas include brain microcirculation, neurological disease models, the pathophysiology of stroke and migraine, targeted drug delivery strategies. She was awarded with TÜBİTAK, Eczacıbaşı Encouragement Awards and TÜBA-GEBİP.