May 19, 2026, from 12pm – 1pm ET
The role of psychosocial, lifestyle, and health factors in cognitive and brain aging
Speaker: Cassandra Morrison
Psychosocial, lifestyle, and health factors are becoming increasingly recognized as important contributors to cognitive aging and dementia risk. Yet, their influence on cognition and brain health remains underexplored. We examined the relationships between psychosocial and lifestyle factors, including loneliness, depression, sleep, and cognitive engagement, and cognitive outcomes such as global cognition and memory. We also explored whether select factors, particularly sleep and cumulative modifiable health burden, relate to brain changes implicated in aging and dementia, such as neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular pathology. Finally, we investigated whether these relationships differ by sex and race. By integrating psychosocial, lifestyle, and health-related risks, this work highlights how multiple exposures shape trajectories of cognitive decline and dementia-related vulnerability.
Please note that registration is required to attend. Click here to register.
Past webinars
What are you looking for?
“You have to be there”: Emotional labor, cultural ethics, and the realities of Black families of people with dementia in Canada during COVID-19
February 17, 2026
Caring for the family caregiver: Lived experiences of family caregivers and mindfulness-based interventions for older adult caregivers of persons with dementia
January 20, 2026
Developing Dementia Decoded: Acute Care Dementia Strategy at The Ottawa Hospital
December 16, 2025
Using plasma biomarkers to estimate the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease pathology in COMPASS-ND
November 17, 2025
Use of lecanemab and donanemab in the Canadian healthcare system: Evidence, challenges, and areas for future research
May 20, 2025
The content of this webinar is based on this scientific review paper: Smith E. et al. (2025), Use of Lecanemab and Donanemab in the Canadian Healthcare System: Evidence, Challenges, and Areas for Future Research. Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Visit this page for frequently asked questions about the use of new medications for Alzheimer’s disease in the Canadian healthcare system
Dementia-related apathy: Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment
April 29, 2025
This presentation is based on this scientific review paper: Lanctôt K.L. et al. (2023) Distinguishing apathy from depression: A review differentiating the behavioral, neuroanatomic, and treatment-related aspects of apathy from depression in neurocognitive disorders. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Feb., 38(2):e5882.
Consult this page for an infographic tool for clinicians on distinguishing apathy from depression in neurocognitive disorders
Brain rhythms, proteinopathy, and neurochemistry along the Alzheimer’s disease continuum
February 5, 2025
Food on the brain: Nutrition in Indigenous communities
December 10, 2024
Navigating risk-taking in the presence of anosognosia: Decision-making capacity challenges in Alzheimer’s disease
December 3, 2024
Modest dietary carbohydrate restriction to sustain healthy cognitive aging
October 8, 2024
Sex and Gender research in CCNA: A sampling of current projects and future directions
April 23, 2024
Why sensory-cognitive research in aging and dementia requires a multi-disciplinary approach
April 9, 2024
