Life Course Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Prevention
Cardiovascular (CV) diseases, largely driven by high blood pressure (BP), are a major global health issue. Recognizing the early roots of CV diseases, this research introduces a multidisciplinary approach to BP across life course. Combining novel genetic, epigenetic, and life-course epidemiological methodologies, the study is strategically divided into four aims using data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (aims 1 & 3), the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP) (Aim 2), and the MULTIEPIGEN cohort (Aim4).
Aim 1: Assessment of natural BP (normal, elevated, hypertensive) transition across various life stages, offering a perspective on the longitudinal impact of BP fluctuations on CV risk. Comparing cumulative BP measurements and BP change rates, enhancing our predictive capabilities for future CV events based on BP trajectories. Our novel approach seeks to establish how BP exposure at various life stages associates with CV events, identifying critical periods where BP is most strongly associated with future CV risks, thereby pinpointing potential optimal windows for targeted CV prevention.
Aim 2: In an unprecedented approach, this aim evaluates the long-term effects of early-life interventions on BP patterns. We also investigate predictors of individual responses, underscoring the potential for personalized BP management starting in infancy.
Aim 3: This aim delves into unexplored areas by examining the life-stage specific effects of BP-associated genetic risk scores and their interplay with lifestyle factors during youth. It evaluates the predictive power of these genetic factors for CV events independent of traditional BP measurements, offering novel insights into the genetic basis of CV disease.
Aim 4: A pioneering exploration into the transmission of BP traits and the role of epigenetics across generations, this aim aims to unravel the complex mechanisms of BP heritability and regulation, a significant leap in understanding familial and epigenetic aspects. Altogether, this multi-faceted approach provides the best evidence on life-course BP and CV risk and paves the way for revolutionary changes in BP management and CV risk prevention, potentially transforming clinical practices and policy guidelines.
Key words:
Cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, life-course approach, epigenetics, gene-environment interaction
Katja Pahkala
Professor
Olli Raitakari
Professor
Mapping the Dynamics of the Developing Hippocampus: Links to Childhood Cognitive Function and Early Life Factor
Mental health and neurological disorders are estimated to affect one in three people worldwide, imposing a substantial individual and societal burden. It is increasingly recognized that many of these conditions have their origins in early life, yet current knowledge of human brain development and the factors shaping it remains limited.
The aim of this SYS-LIFE fellowship is to advance our understanding of the development of one of the most crucial neural determinants of human cognition – the hippocampus. The project will go beyond the state-of-the-art by integrating naturalistic, child-friendly, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigms (e.g., watching a cartoon movie, playing an interactive virtual reality game) with the most recent analytical tools for capturing brain dynamic functional networks. Specifically, I will assess how dynamic interactions between the hippocampus and the cortex support the maturation of cognitive-emotional capabilities in childhood and early adolescence. Moreover, I will conduct a detailed analysis of early life risk and protective factors for child neurocognitive development, testing the potential role of the hippocampus as a mediator of early life influences on cognitive function.
To achieve these objectives, I will leverage rich neuroimaging, cognitive, and epidemiological data that have been collected throughout pre- and post-natal development within the FinnBrain birth cohort, coordinated by the University of Turku. The findings will provide new insight into human hippocampal-cortical development and the factors shaping it, potentially informing future prevention and intervention strategies to support the developing brain.