Research project Brain structure and functional connectivity later in life
Are brain structure and functional connectivity later in life influenced by midlife psychosocial work stress? Psychosocial stress at work has been suggested to play a role in the development of cognitive dysfunction, but evidence on the neural substrate (brain structure and function) of psychosocial work stress is scarce.
This project aims to examine the effect of middle-life psychosocial work stress and COVID-19 related changes in working conditions on brain structural and functional changes in later life, and to identify protective factors that can counteract the detrimental effect.
Project description
Working hypotheses
- High levels and long durations of psychological stress trigger the changes of the neural substrate in the brain.
- The COVID-19 crisis related changes in working conditions produce extra stress that may alter brain structure and functional connectivity.
- Some measures/regions of the brain is more sensitive than others to the influence of psychosocial work stress.
- High levels of cognitive reserve reduce the negative effects of psychological stress on brain integrity and function.
The study population will be derived from the ongoing national cohort study: the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH, 2006–2018), which consists of a random sample (n=500) of SLOSH participants who were aged 40-55 years in 2006. The dataset has biennially repeated measures of sociodemographic, lifestyle factors, cognition, and health status, as well as subjective and objective measures of psychosocial work stress over 12 years. Information regarding working condition changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be collected in 2021 and the sMRI and fMRI scans will be performed in 2021 (participants will be aged 55-70 years).
Understanding the role of psychosocial work stress in shaping our brain and identifying the associated protective factors may lead to the development of effective prevention strategies against cognitive dysfunction and brain damage. The identification of the COVID-19 pandemic induced changes in working conditions that have detrimental effects on brain health will provide additional evidence on the development of prevention strategies.
Project members
Project managers
Hui Xin Wang
Professor
Members
Håkan Fischer
Professor in Human biological psychology
Aleksandra Lebedeva
Guest Researcher
Hugo Westerlund
Professor
More about this project
The project is using the following Swedish telephone numbers:
+4673-5999211
+4676-6951781
+4670-7743050