The mind-body connection: Bridging the gap between lifestyle factors and cognitive wellbeing from clinical to demographic analysis

Research project description

PhD will investigate the impact of lifestyle choices on cognitive and mental health. 

The progressive aging of the population poses a challenge for today’s societies, as it implies an increase in the incidence of pathologies affecting the aging brain, including cognitive and mental disorders. Healthy aging involves mental, emotional, and social wellness, impacting the quality of life. While biological and genetic factors play a significant role in the graceful aging process, they interact with and are influenced by a variety of environmental factors, which can be changed, improved, or managed to positively impact health outcomes.  

Previous research indicates that embracing certain life-style habits, like a low-calorie diet, regular physical activity, stress management, and sufficient sleep, offers cognitive benefits to older adults, despite unclearly defined underlying mechanisms. Therefore, prioritizing key factors that enhance well-being from an early stage can contribute to both extending lifespan and sustaining optimal brain health as one ages.  

This research project aims to bridge the gap between clinical and demographic perspectives by investigating the impact of lifestyle choices on cognitive and mental health. The clinical aspect involves examining neuropsychological data obtained from middle-aged patients, correlating it with their lifestyle information, and exploring connections with physiological markers, such as plasma hormones and pro-inflammatory parameters. The demographic analysis will utilize secondary data from the National Health Survey of Spain (ENSE) (2006, 2011/12, 2017, 2023/24) and the Spanish samples (2009, 2014, 2019/20) of the European Health Survey (EHIS). These surveys include four key domains: sociodemographics, health status, healthcare use, and health determinants. The analysis will elucidate the relationship between the population’s healthy lifestyle habits and their overall quality of life, disability risk, and mental well-being across the span of adulthood and aging- 

The project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how each individual lifestyle choice may influence the likelihood of developing conditions associated with cognitive impairment and mental health changes. 

Academic background / Skills

Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral programme at UAB.  

Additional requirements for a stronger application are: 

Candidates should showcase a vocation for research and a keen interest in addressing mental health challenges. Eligibility for the PhD in Neuroscience program at UAB requires meeting academic prerequisites, including accreditation of 300 ECTS credits and proficient English speaking and writing skills. Basic knowledge of Spanish is considered an advantage.  

Highly regarded qualifications include: 

• Previous studies in Health Psychology, Neuroscience, Medicine, Demography, or related fields such as Biomedicine, Statistics, Biology or Mathematics. 
• A strong academic track record. 
• Experience in handling and analyzing quantitative data. 
• Experience or prior work on the proposed research area. 

Research group/s description

Cognition, Aging and Diet (INc) research group endeavors to comprehensively explore the brain mechanisms driving the aging process and assess the influence of specific environmental factors on these mechanisms. We aim to investigate the impact of diets, such as caloric restriction (CR), and the use of compounds that modulate epigenetic mechanisms (like substances regulating histone acetylation activity) on cognitive processes in aged rats. This research encompasses male and female rats spanning different age groups, evaluating cognitive function across asymptomatic, prodromal, and symptomatic stages of impairment. Our experimental approach involves a combination of behavioral, histological, biochemical, and proteomic analyses. Additionally, we are initiating research to explore the effects of diverse lifestyle factors and biomarkers on cognitive decline among middle-aged patients. The results from our investigations hold potential significance in developing behavioral strategies that foster healthier aging.  

The PhD student will also join CED’s Health and Ageing Research group, dedicated to studying the challenges posed by population ageing for the societal organization and well-being of its citizens. While an important achievement has been the extension of lifespan, our research also focuses on analyzing whether those extra years are lived in good mental and physical health, paying special attention to social and gender inequalities. The CED is one of the six best population research centres in Europe and has the highest qualification granted by CERCA, which the agency in charge of managing and evaluating the trajectory of the research centres of excellence in Catalonia.