Research Assistant: Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Brain Aging, and Dementia

  

Semester & Location:	Spring 2025 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 6 Credits
Major Disciplines:	Neuroscience, Pre-Medicine / Health Science, Public Health
Prerequisites	At least one university-level course in neuroscience or related discipline (to ensure sufficient background knowledge about dementia)
Research Mentor:	Abigail Dove
Research Director:	Susana Dietrich - research@dis.dk
Senior Research Manager:	Polina Smiragina-Ingelström
Academic Support:	research@dis.dk
Time & Place:	See "Course Summary" below

 

Research Project Description

An estimated one in six people worldwide will be over the age of 65 in 2050. Global population aging is a success story, but an aging society also comes with significant challenges, including a growing burden of age-related conditions like cardiometabolic disease and dementia.

Cardiometabolic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.) have been shown to increase the risk of developing dementia, but the mechanisms underlying this remain unclear, and there is an urgent need to identify strategies to preserve cognitive and brain health among the growing number of people with poor cardiometabolic health. Key questions in this growing field include: How do cardiometabolic diseases impact cognitive decline and the development of cognitive impairment? What is the impact of cardiometabolic disease on brain structure and brain pathologies? Can lifestyle factors mitigate the increased risk of dementia among people with cardiometabolic diseases?

Addressing these issues is important for identifying individuals at high risk of dementia as well as developing strategies for dementia prevention in today’s aging world.

Project details:

As a Research Assistant on this project, you will work with a research group based in the multi-disciplinary Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute. The neuroepidemiology research group studies the relationship between cardiometabolic health and dementia, with a focus on identifying modifiable factors that can improve cognitive and brain health in people with cardiometabolic diseases. The research is epidemiological in nature (i.e. computer-based, no wet-lab component) and involves working with data from large longitudinal studies on medical conditions, cognitive function, brain MRI, lifestyle factors, and genetic/metabolic biomarkers, as well as their changes over time.

As a Research Assistant, you will be involved in identifying a specific research question based on gaps in the literature; learning how to conduct the appropriate statistical analyses; drafting and editing the manuscript; and participating in the peer review process.

Selected relevant publications:

• Dove A, Wang J, Huang H, Dunk MM, Sakakibara S, Guitart-Masip M, Papenberg G, Xu W. (2024) “Diabetes, prediabetes, and brain aging: the role of healthy lifestyle.” Diabetes Care 47(10): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-0860
• Dove A, Dunk MM, Wang J, Guo J, Whitmer RA, Xu W. (2024) “Anti-inflammatory diet and dementia in older adults with cardiometabolic diseases.” JAMA Network Open 7(8): e2427125. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.2712
• Dove A, Guo J, Marseglia A, Fastbom J, Vetrano DL, Fratiglioni L, Pedersen N, Xu W. (2023) “Cardiometabolic multimorbidity and incident dementia: the Swedish twin registry.” European Heart Journal 44(7): 573-582. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehac744

Learning Objectives

The primary objective is for you to experience the world of research and gain skills that will prepare you for any future career you choose to pursue. By the end of the term, you will grasp the complexities of the research project and have made your own contribution to the project. You will have learned to communicate ideas and findings, both orally and in writing, to colleagues within your particular discipline, as well as peers from other disciplines.

Faculty

Abigail Dove

The 6-Credit Research Assistantship

The 6-Credit Research Assistantship (6RA) is an experiential learning opportunity that allows you to develop research skills in a professional research setting.  As a research assistant, you perform research under the supervision of a mentor (a lead scientist in the external research group). The mentor is able to offer both academic and professional advice. In addition to acquiring research experience, the goal is to develop a student/mentor relationship that benefits both the DIS student and Copenhagen-based research institutions.

• Approach to teaching

In general, the 6RA is designed for highly motivated students with a strong interest in developing their research skills. You will experience a hands-on class in a laboratory setting also including theoretical hours, where you will read, write and prepare your research. You will be part of an active research team and experience the dynamics of a European research institution. You will be provided with the basic scientific knowledge of the field and be introduced to the methods and techniques needed to conduct the experiments. Regarding teaching style, especially in the laboratory setting, the approach is "learning by doing". For the theoretical parts, you are expected to immerse yourselves in the topic and take responsibility so you achieve the highest learning outcome by actively participating in discussions and presentations. 

Responsibilities and Expectations of the Mentor

Your research project will be part of a larger, ongoing research project at the research institution. Your mentor and/or co-mentors will guide you on methodology, techniques and advise as to ethical considerations, provide feedback throughout the research process, and help you find resources to conduct your research on-site.  A gradual transition toward independence is encouraged as you gain more confidence transforming into a more self-directed and self-motivated project under the mentor’s guidance and supervision. It is important, that the project reflect your work, as a 6RA student, not only your mentor’s contribution.  

It is not expected that you pursue a project where you are able to obtain definitive publishable results. The project chosen and agreed upon between you and your mentor should be focused and designed to produce results within the DIS semester calendar. While it is not necessary for the results to be significant (in that the results find a solution to the problem or hypothesis proposed), arguably any results to the proposed question are significant to the next phase of a research project.  

Responsibility and Expectations of the Research Assistant

Specific expectations of you as a student is agreed upon with your mentor at the beginning of the semester. However, in general it requires that you:

1. Spend an average of 20 hours per week carrying out the research project. You will need to arrange a schedule with your mentor which will allow you to complete the required hours performing a combination of theoretical and hands-on research at the external research institution.
2. Arrange project check-in meetings with your external research mentor and/or co-mentor(s) at mutual agreed time intervals during the semester. Clear and continuous communication with your research mentor throughout the semester is a necessary part of the research project and it is expected that you initiates those meetings 
3. Submit semester assignments on time including a literature review,  a outline of the research project and a final research paper. Note your mentor may require additional assignments.
4. Present your research findings at the DIS Festival in a format appropriate to the project like a powerpoint or poster presentation. The final format is to be determined with your mentor during the semester and approved by DIS

During the theoretical part you are expected to read and write relevant scientific literature in relation to your research project and use your newly-gained knowledge to critically evaluate the research component, ask relevant questions and actively participate in research discussions within the field. During the practical part you are expected to actively engage by planning and performing your own experiments and carefully monitor the conducted experiments and analyzing the collected data. You are expected/encouraged to critically evaluate possible issues if experiments do not go as expected and come up with ideas to modifications or reflect on potential mistakes.

Overall, it is important to be enthusiastic about the project. Carrying out a research project is not a straightforward and predictable process as you are creating new (and at times unexpected) knowledge. This is part of what makes research exciting but at times also challenging! 

Learning outcomes for the Research Project include:

• Obtain hands-on research experience in s laboratory setting
• Learn the ability to plan, conduct and critically evaluate experimental laboratory data
• Obtain the ability to perform self-directed and self-motivated experimental research
• Be able to actively participate in scientific discussions with a critical approach to the research
• Learn how to write a research paper and present experimental data in a professional way
• Learn ethical standards and academic integrity in a research process
• Experience the authenticity of research, including the unpredictabilities, the unexpected challenges and unknowns that is part of doing research.

Description of Assignments and Grading Evaluation 

Throughout the semester, you are expected to fulfill various assignments. To be eligible for a passing grade in 6RA, all of the assignments must be completed. It will be your mentor that assess your work and assign your final grade.

Readings

The readings will be agreed upon with the Research Mentor at the beginning of the semester - the exact content will differ depending on your background. You will receive guidance concerning the basics of relevant concepts, study designs, methods of analysis, etc.

Evaluation and Grading

Active participation in research activities	15%
Attendance & active participation including homework in the research orientation, research workshops, and DIS Festival	10%
Journal club presentation	5%
Literature summary assignment	5%
Poster presentation at DIS Festival	15%
Final Paper	50%
TOTAL	100%

The research paper is the final product of your research assistantship. In the paper, you will explain your work throughout the semester including the methodologies you have used, the overall process, the project’s significance, and the contribution to the field of research in which you have engaged. Please note: this research paper is not produced with the intent of publishing, but if you put in the hours and effort it may end up being a publication. 

At the DIS Festival you will present the research you have carried out throughout the semester in the form of a poster. 

 

Data

Note that many US colleges/universities require their students who are participating in research at home or abroad to acquire Institutional Review Board approval. Examples include:

• Research involving human subjects
• If the results of any research conducted during your semester with DIS involving human subjects are to be made public or published in the US

You are responsible for confirming whether home IRB-approval is required and, if so, for seeking the approval of your home schools IRB. In addition, all research conducted in Europe must adhere to GDPR regulations, as noted above.

 

Disability and Resource Statement

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Academic Support in Copenhagen (acadsupp@dis.dk) or in Stockholm (academics@disstockholm.se), depending on the project location. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There, you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

Academic Honesty - Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org