Pumping up brain health: The heart-brain connection

Following this year’s Rotman Research Institute (RRI) Conference, the RRI and the Baycrest-led Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) hosted a public panel focusing on the importance of sensory and cognitive health.

The brain and heart are more connected than you might think, especially when it comes to dementia. Recent studies have shown what is good for the heart is good for the brain, and it is good for all of us not to have to prioritize one over the other. However, with so much conflicting health-related information available, it can be hard to know how best to take care of our hearts and brains. This free panel cuts through that clutter, bringing together experts with unique perspectives from science, innovation, policy, and clinical practice, discussing questions like: "How can we optimize our heart and brain health throughout our lives?” “How can research discoveries about heart-brain connections guide policies to improve public health?” And “Why is heart health important for dementia prevention?”

Panelists:

Dr. Nicole Anderson is a Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, the Associate Scientific Director of Baycrest's Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness, and a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Jodi Edwards is the Director of the Brain and Heart Nexus Research Program at the University
of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), Associate Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public
Health at the University of Ottawa, Director of the UOHI Population Outcomes Research Unit and
an ICES Adjunct Scientist.

Dr. Yorito Hattori is the Chief Physician in the Division of Neurology at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Centre in Japan.

Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou is a Professor of Medicine (Division of Geriatrics) at McMaster University, a Geriatric Medicine Specialist at Hamilton Health Sciences and Executive Director of the GERAS Centre for Aging Research.

Moderator:

Dr. Allison Sekuler, Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, Rotman Research Institute; President & Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care; President & Chief Scientist, Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI); Professor, University of Toronto and McMaster University.