The proposed K23 application will strongly support Ellen Lee, MD?s long-term career goal of becoming an independent clinical-translational physician-scientist in geriatric mental health. This project investigates inflammatory mechanisms underlying sleep and cognition in middle-aged and older adults (41-70 years old) with schizophrenia (SZ). The proposal has considerable
Schizophrenia (SZ) is one of the most disabling and costly mental illnesses, and the burden of poor functioning is closely tied to cognitive deficits. Examining sleep disturbances, an understudied and modifiable risk factor for cognitive deficits, and the related inflammatory pathways may provide a new way to understand and improve cognition. This project proposes to investigate the underlying inflammatory mechanisms that link sleep disturbances and cognitive deficits in middle-aged and older persons with SZ in order to help inform future development of targeted interventions to improve functioning in this vulnerable population.
