2/24 – Julia Bauer, UIC
CBQB Seminar (hybrid event)
February 24, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
This is an in-person event in room COMRB 5175 on west campus (directions). You can also watch seminar live here>>
Speaker:
Julia Bauer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
UIC
Title: Environmental chemicals and neurotoxicity across the lifespan: A focus on mid- to late life
Abstract: The interface between exposures in the environment and the human body is dynamic across life stages and time. Likewise, disease pathology can develop over decades of human life. Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), previously termed the Barker Hypothesis, is studied across scientific disciplines to reveal preventative measures to reduce disease incidence in later life. Exposures to neurotoxicants occur across the life course and some chemicals are stored in the body for long periods of time, like elements in teeth, or like persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as pesticides (e.g., DDT) or industrial chemicals (e.g., PCBs) in adipose tissue. Given the lack of preventative measures or effective treatments, there is a critical need for uncovering environmental influences of Alzheimer’s Disease at early stages of development. Measurement of these stored chemicals in the body can unlock decades of past exposure before signs of ADRD occur. Critically, environmental chemical body burdens are higher in racial ethnic minorities in the United States and also have higher risks of ADRD. More research is needed to understand relationships between neurotoxic environmental chemicals and neurological disease across the life course.
Date posted
Jan 27, 2025
Date updated
Feb 10, 2025