Lin Yee Chen, MD, MS, a professor on the University of Minnesota Medical School and director of the Lillehei Heart Institute, has been awarded a $4.39 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to check atrial myopathy-;a coronary heart situation related to a better threat of dementia and vascular mind damage.
“This mission has the potential to determine a novel threat issue for dementia and stroke. Importantly, we will probably modify this threat issue to scale back the danger of dementia and stroke,” stated Dr. Chen, who can also be a cardiac electrophysiologist with M Health Fairview.
Atrial myopathy is a situation that impacts the muscle mass within the higher chambers of the center. It can result in coronary heart rhythm points and may make it tougher for the center to pump blood successfully. Atrial myopathy has been linked to an elevated threat of dementia, stroke and neuroimaging markers of vascular mind damage. However, prior analysis has been restricted by the dearth of knowledge in individuals 85 years and older and the dearth of knowledge on how atrial myopathy modifications over time. These limitations have constrained progress on discovering novel therapies to stop atrial myopathy and its neurocognitive influence, significantly in older individuals.
Dr. Chen’s mission goals to characterize atrial myopathy development and trajectories of the situation in older adults and make clear its relationship to the incidence of dementia and delicate cognitive impairment. The analysis crew may also analyze the influence of atrial myopathy development on neuroimaging and plasma biomarkers of dementia, in addition to determine particular way of life or molecular threat components for atrial myopathy development.
The mission will leverage the in depth knowledge within the well-characterized Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort and measure left atrial perform over time. This will enable the crew to characterize the trajectories of atrial myopathy development. They may also conduct ambulatory coronary heart rhythm monitoring to detect atrial fibrillation with the intention to account for the contribution of atrial fibrillation to illness associations.
This $4.39 million grant is awarded for fiscal 12 months 2023.