Cerebrovascular Laboratory

IEEMBrain@TexasHealth.org

7232 Greenville Avenue

Dallas, TX 75231

214-345-4245

The focus of the Cerebrovascular Laboratory is the study of brain aging and neuroplasticity in response to lifestyle modifications, with the ultimate goal to improve brain health and quality-of-life in older adults.

Our team addresses the key questions of if, and to what extent, reducing cardiovascular risk factors, dietary interventions, sleep, and exercise impact brain structure, function, and perfusion in middle-aged and older adults.
Integrative systems physiology and state-of-the-art neuroimaging approaches (including transcranial doppler, echocardiography, near infrared spectroscopy, MRI, and PET technologies) are used to answer these key questions.
The motto of our team is "Strive for Excellence."

Interests

To understand the interrelationship between cardiovascular and brain health
To examine the effects of aging and lifestyle modifications on brain structure, function, and perfusion in middle-aged and older adults
To study dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular function under physiological and pathophysiological conditions

Current Projects

Dynamic Vasomotor Reactivity (DVR) in Alzheimer Disease
Funded by the National Institute on Aging
Impact of Intensive Treatment of Systolic Blood Pressure on Brain Perfusion, Amyloid, and Tau in Older Adults (IPAT)
Funded by the National Institute on Aging

Current Research Opportunities

View our current research opportunities for:

DVR
- Study is no longer open for recruiting.
Impact of Intensive Treatment of Systolic Blood Pressure on Brain Perfusion, Amyloid, and Tau in older Adults (IPAT) Study
- Basic Qualifications:

Researchers

Principal Investigator

Danilo Cardim, Ph.D.

Rong Zhang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellows / Residents

John Ashley Ph.D.

Juliana Caldas, MD, Ph.D.

Junyeon Won, Ph.D.
Staff

Tristyn Curtis, M.B.A.

Meg McGregor

Chris Reagin, R.N., B.S.N.

Solymar Rivera-Torres, Ph.D.

Javier Sigala Salazar, MPH

Anna Tomlinson, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC

Jordan Zaenglein, M.S.

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Publications

Aerobic exercise training and neurocognitive function in cognitively normal older adults: A one-year randomized controlled trial

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joim.13534
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and White Matter Neuronal Fiber Integrity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Won, J., Maillard, P., Shan, K., Ashley, J., Cardim, D., Zhu, D.C. and Zhang, R., 2024. Association of Blood Pressure With Brain White Matter Microstructural Integrity Assessed With MRI Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Healthy Young Adults. Hypertension, 81(5), pp.1145-1155.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and White Matter Neuronal Fiber Integrity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Ding K, Tarumi T, Zhu DC, Tseng BY, Thomas BP, Turner M, Repshas J, Kerwin DR, Womack KB, Lu H, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Cardiorespiratory Fitness and White Matter Neuronal Fiber Integrity in Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;61(2):729-739.
Ambulatory pulse pressure, brain neuronal fiber integrity, and cerebral blood flow in older adults

Tarumi T, Thomas BP, Wang C, Zhang L, Liu J, Turner M, Riley J, Tangella N, Womack KB, Kerwin DR, Cullum CM, Lu H, Vongpatanasin W, Zhu DC, Zhang R. Ambulatory pulse pressure, brain neuronal fiber integrity, and cerebral blood flow in older adults. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab.39(5):926-936, 2019
Brain White Matter Hyperintensity Lesion Characterization in T2 Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery Magnetic Resonance Images

Gwo CY, Zhu DC and Zhang R. Brain White Matter Hyperintensity Lesion Characterization in T2 Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery Magnetic Resonance Images: Shape, Texture and Potential Growth. Front. Neurosci. 2019; 16;13:353
Comparing model‐based cerebrovascular physiomarkers with DTI biomarkers in MCI patients

Marmarelis VZ, Shin DC, Tarumi T, Zhang R. Comparing model‐based cerebrovascular physiomarkers with DTI biomarkers in MCI patients. Brain and Behavior, 2019
Rationale and methods for a multicenter clinical trial assessing exercise and intensive vascular risk reduction in preventing dementia

Szabo-Reed AN, Vidoni E, Binder EF, Burns J, Cullum CM, Gahan WP, Gupta A, Hynan LS, Kerwin DR, Rossetti H, Stowe AM, Vongpatanasin W, Zhu DC, Zhang R, Keller JN. Rationale and methods for a multicenter clinical trial assessing exercise and intensive vascular risk reduction in preventing dementia (rrAD Study). Contemp Clin Trials. 2019; 79:44-54
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and White Matter Neuronal Fiber Integrity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Ding K, Tarumi T, Zhu DC, Tseng BY, Thomas BP, Turner M, Repshas J, Kerwin DR, Womack KB, Lu H, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Cardiorespiratory Fitness and White Matter Neuronal Fiber Integrity in Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;61(2):729-739.
Exercise Training in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Tarumi T, Rossetti H, Thomas BP, Harris T, Tseng BY, Turner M, Wang C, German Z, Martin-Cook K, Stowe AM, Womack KB, Mathews D, Kerwin DR, Hynan L, Diaz-Arrastia R, Lu H, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Exercise Training in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A One-Year Randomized Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;71(2):421-433
Cerebral White Matter Integrity in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Tarumi T, Thomas BP, Tseng BY, Wang C, Womack KB, Hynan L, Lu H, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Cerebral White Matter Integrity in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A 1-Year Randomized Controlled Trial of Aerobic Exercise Training. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;73(2):489-501
Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity during Hypo- and Hypercapnia across the Adult Lifespan

Tomoto T, Riley J, Turner M, Zhang R, Tarumi T. Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity during Hypo- and Hypercapnia across the Adult Lifespan. JCBFM 2020; 40(3):600-610.
Carotid Stiffness is Associated with Brain Amyloid-β Burden in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

EP Pasha, E Rutjes, T Tomoto, T Tarumi, A Stowe, JA Claassen, CM Cullum, DC. Zhu, R Zhang. Carotid Stiffness is Associated with Brain Amyloid-β Burden in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;74(3):925-935
Central Autonomic Network Functional Connectivity

Ding K, Tarumi T, Wang C, Vernino S, Zhang R, Zhu DC. Central Autonomic Network Functional Connectivity: Correlation With Baroreflex Function and Cardiovascular Variability in Older Adults. Brain Struct Funct. 2020
Brain Perfusion Change in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment After 12 Months of Aerobic Exercise Training

Thomas BP, Tarumi T, Sheng M, Tseng B, Womack KB, Cullum CM, Rypma B, Zhang R, Lu H. Brain Perfusion Change in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment After 12 Months of Aerobic Exercise Training. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;75(2):617-631
Dysregulation of CO2-Driven Heart-Rate Chemoreflex Is Related Closely to Impaired CO2 Dynamic Vasomotor Reactivity in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients

Marmarelis VZ, Shin DC, Zhang R. Dysregulation of CO2-Driven Heart-Rate Chemoreflex Is Related Closely to Impaired CO2 Dynamic Vasomotor Reactivity in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020
Impaired Cerebral Blood Flow Regulation in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury

Ding K, Tarumi T, Tomoto T, Mccolloster M, Le T, Dieppa M, Diaz-Arrastia R, Bell K, Madden C, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Impaired Cerebral Blood Flow Regulation in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury. Brain Res. 2020
Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Tomotoa T, Tarumi T, Chen J, Pasha EP, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. JAD 2020
Middle-aged endurance athletes exhibit lower cerebrovascular impedance than sedentary peers

Zhang L, Pasha EP, Liu J, Xing CY, Cardim D, Tarumi T, Womack K, Hynan LS, Cullum CM, Zhang R. Steady-State Cerebral Autoregulation in Older Adults with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Linear Mixed Model Analysis. J Appl Physiol 2020.

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