Associate Professor of Pathobiology Candace Mathiason introduces us to the weird ways of prions and how they can be used as models for Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Mathiason describes her past research in retroviruses and the approach her lab is taking to develop tests that can detect Alzheimer’s earlier in the disease’s progression.

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Learn more about prions from the NIH and the CDC.

Read about CSU's history in chronic wasting disease research from The Coloradoan.

Dr. Stephen Aichele, a quantitative psychologist at CSU, describes the relationship between depression and cognitive decline, and how data science methods can be used to determine predictors of cognitive changes. We briefly discuss the effects of air pollution and lead exposure on cognitive development, and Aichele shares what his research reveals about three key predictors of depression risk following middle age: social isolation, poor health, mobility issues.

Zhijie Wang, an assistant professor in CSU’s School of Biomedical Engineering, discusses the anatomy of the heart and why the right ventricle has historically been viewed as the “forgotten chamber" in research. We also discuss tissue engineering as a therapy for heart failure and disease.

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Read about the world's first 3D-printed heart using human cells, created by Israeli scientists in 2019.

Visit Wang's CardioVascular Biomechanics Laboratory.

Josiane Broussard – an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science and the director of the Sleep and Metabolism Lab at CSU – explains the importance of sleep and why this essential behavior is key to every process in the body. How do our sleeping patterns change with age, and what can you do to build a better sleep schedule?

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Find tips for healthy sleep from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

Sara LoTemplio – a new assistant professor in CSU’s Human Dimensions of Natural Resources department – is here to talk about the restorative effects of nature on the brain. From indigenous teachings, to how the heart and brain respond to being outdoors, LoTemplio shares her preliminary ideas on how interactions with nature might slow cognitive decline in older adults and boost mood and attention span.

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Find the RAAIN Lab here.

Read "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Learn about the University of Washington's Indigenous Wellness Research Institute here.

Today's episode revisits every guest from Season 2 of living healthy longer and what makes them most excited for the future of aging studies. Where is aging research going and what makes CHA affiliate faculty hopeful?

Our show will return for Season 3 in January 2023! Sign up for our newsletter at healthyaging.colostate.edu for updates in the meantime.

Today's show is a special two-part episode with the Health and Human Science Matters podcast, hosted by the College of Health and Human Sciences' Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Matt Hickey, and the college’s Digital Media Strategist, Avery Martin.

We teamed up to speak with Dean Lise Youngblade and Dr. Nicole Ehrhart, the former interim and current directors of the Center for Healthy Aging, to have a conversation about women as leaders in science.

Listen to part 1 over at the HHSM podcast, where Ehrhart and Youngblade discuss their trajectories, hobbies, and roles as female leaders in STEM.

Then, come back here for part 2 to learn why CSU is uniquely positioned to study models of aging because of its land-grant mission. Dr. Ehrhart describes the Center’s Longitudinal COVID-19 Screening Study in Nursing Facilities, and Dean Youngblade shares about CSU’s role in responding to the mental health crisis in Colorado, both locally and in rural areas across the state.

Lisa Morgan, an instructor in CSU’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, discusses how it feels physically and emotionally to connect with others through the art of dance. Morgan shares the cognitive benefits of movement through dance and introduces her Moving Through Parkinson's program, a dance class for people living with Parkinson's disease.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Moving Through Parkinson's
• Community dance classes at CSU
• Parkinson's Support Group of Larimer County
• Parkinson's Association of the Rockies
• Friends of Traditional Dance in Fort Collins
• Aspen Club
• Fort Collins Senior Center

Jaclyn Stephens and Arlene Schmid, faculty in CSU’s Department of Occupational Therapy, join to share an update about a study that aims to build support for yoga therapy as a treatment for disability and chronic brain injury.

Read more on CSU's SOURCE or from the Boettcher Foundation.

Assistant Professor Tom LaRocca from CSU's Department of Health and Exercise Science is back to tell us about a new study from his lab that is investigating repetitive elements in the genome as biomarkers for aging.

• View the recruitment flyer for the Bio-Aging Study.
• To volunteer for the study, email Tom.LaRocca@colostate.edu.
• Read more about LaRocca's research in repetitive elements.
• Learn about Stanford's iAge inflammatory clock.

Associate Professor Adela Chen from CSU’s Department of Computer Information Systems describes how social media use relates to early childhood experiences, and how the boundaries between our professional and personal lives are blurred by the use of technology at work and at home.

Jodi Waterhouse is the director of outreach programs at the University of Colorado Anschutz Multidisciplinary Center on Aging. Beyond creating programs for the Center, Jodi is also an advocate at the state capitol for issues facing older Coloradans. Here we talk with Jodi about two bills that aim to increase the number of medical providers for older adults in Colorado.

Read more about SB21-158: Loan Forgiveness for Geriatric-Trained Clinicians, and visit here to apply for loan forgiveness.

Read more about SB22-189: the Colorado Geriatric Provider Pipeline Program.

CHA director, Dr. Nicole Ehrhart, joins us to discuss regenerative medicine, a line of research that helps to repair or regrow damaged tissue and organs. Ehrhart discusses stem cell therapy as a foundation for regenerative medicine, and then explains a new, cutting-edge approach to addressing age-related diseases: extracellular vesicle therapy for sarcopenia.

Dr. Eric Chess is a physician, lawyer, and the Director of The Paul Freeman Financial Security Program at the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging at the University of Denver. Here, we discuss the intersection of financial security and cognitive health, research at that intersection, as well as signs you can watch out for to recognize financial fraud.

Dr. Gwen Fisher is a researcher in CSU's Occupational Health Psychology Lab, which studies issues of worker health and well-being and characteristics of the work environment that impact individuals and organizations. This conversation is all about the future of work: trends, gaps, and hot topics surrounding the older adult workforce.

Audrey Ruple is the veterinary epidemiologist on the Dog Aging Project, an open access data science study to understand how genes, lifestyle, and environment influence aging. In this episode, we discuss genetic similarities between dogs and humans, the underrepresentation of diverse groups in human and canine studies, and how big data is revolutionizing diagnoses in translational medicine.

Cancer and aging share seven of the nine hallmarks of aging, meaning that the molecular mechanisms that prompt aging often promote cancer, too. We talk to James DeGregori, a professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, to sort out why cancer and aging share such similarities. DeGregori describes his lab's theory of adaptive oncogenesis, which views cancer through the lens of evolution, to answer: If we slow down aging, do we also slow down rates of cancer?

Dr. Kelly Hall, an associate professor of emergency and critical care at CSU, discusses physical trauma: serious injuries to the body, and how companion animals are teaching us about humans’ capacity for healing into older age. We also learn about about the Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT) that is developing a database of animal trauma cases and a network of hospitals and trauma systems to improve veterinary patient care in critical cases.

The National Institute on Aging defines aging in place as "staying in your own home as you get older," though there are many barriers to aging in place, including affordability, disability, and home design.

Assistant Professor of Design and Merchandising, Maria Delgado, introduces us to universal design standards that aim to make homes more accessible, and we learn about the affordable, sustainable, and visitable tiny home that Delgado's students are building for a lucky older adult.

Delgado is looking for older adult (55+) volunteers in Northern Colorado to provide user feedback to her students about their tiny home design. If interested, email Maria Delgado at Maria.Delgado@colostate.edu.

Dr. Jen Currin-McCulloch, a social worker at CSU, tells us about strategies for meaning-making at end of life: How do we pursue hope despite a debilitating diagnosis? How do we meaningfully reflect on our lives as time becomes more precious? Currin-McCulloch shares how we can communicate with ourselves, our loved ones, and our doctors as we reach the end of our lives.

Caregivers can find support resources at CSU's Aging Clinic of the Rockies, the Alzheimer’s Association, or the Larimer County Office on Aging.