Leaders in Research
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| Chie Wei Fan, MD, RCPI Senior Research Fellow Department of Medical Gerontology & Falls and Blackout Unit Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
One of the indicators of malfunctioning autonomic function is transient falls in blood pressure during standing called orthostatic hypotension. The presence of orthostatic hypotension in the older person has been associated with increased risk of falls and impaired attention / reaction times. The older people with dementia are particularly at risk of falls. Whilst the link between dementia and ANS dysfunction is strong, the relationship between falls and early cognitive decline is less well-defined. Dr Mimi Fan's Beeson research consists of two aspects. Firstly, she will examine the characteristics of cardiovascular autonomic function and its behaviour during the day and over shorter period of time (weeks) in older persons with and without a history of falls. Secondly, she will explore the prevalence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction and its relationship with gait function and cognition in a large nationally representative sample of older persons, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). www.tilda.tcd.ie. Participants in the study will undergo autonomic function assessment, technology-assisted gait and balance measurements, in addition to detailed neuropsychological tasks. A better understanding of autonomic nervous system behaviour will enable early detection of risk and inform the development of new technologies and therapies for prevention and intervention. Dr. Fan was awarded her Doctor of Medicine (MD), a postgraduate research degree, from Trinity College Dublin. She completed the specialist training in Geriatric Medicine and General Internal Medicine from the Higher Medical Training at Royal College of Physician Ireland. She is a clinician at the Falls and Blackout Unit at St James's Hospital, Dublin and currently the clinical director of the Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) www.trilcentre.org.
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| Primary Research (for Beeson Program): Age-related Autonomic Dysfunction and its Impact on Cognition, Gait and Falls
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The autonomic nervous system is fundamental to maintaining the equilibrium of all the systems in the body. There are two major components: the sympathetic nervous system associated with energy mobilization; and the parasympathetic system associated with restorative and involuntary function. As people age, impairment of the autonomic function becomes more common.