Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Disorders Lab
About the Lab
The Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Disorders lab at Utah State University is led by clinical neuropsychologist and professor, Dr. JoAnn Tschanz. Housed within the Psychology Department at USU, the lab has strong collaborations across campus in other departments, the state, the US and other countries. Thank you for your interest in our work.
Many students in the lab continue to investigate risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in the original CCSMA and DPS, with recent investigations in genetics [Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF)], sex differences in AD, nutritional factors and the expression of dementia after onset, sleep disturbance, and informal costs of dementia care. New projects have examined technology-related intervention methods for the prevention of AD (Gray Matters) or technologies to aid memory deficits (Technology and Adoption Usage Tools for Everyday Technologies). A new NIA-funded project examines selected offspring of the original Cache County Study cohort to identify genes associated with risk and resilience of AD.
Meet Our Mentor
Dr. JoAnn Tschanz
When students join the lab, they are welcomed as junior colleagues to a collaborative and cooperative team. Lab members share interests in studying Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders as well as neuropsychology, epidemiology, caregiver issues, and health care economics and related topics. Students are encouraged to share ideas, help each other learn new skills, co-author research presentations and publications, and foster an open, collaborative and supportive working environment. Our research is multidisciplinary and as a result, there are opportunities to work with faculty, external researchers and students from disciplines outside of psychology. Participation in lab meetings and work group meetings is an expectation.
My mentoring style is flexible and generally follows a developmental framework in which I provide more structure and support for new students (i.e., weekly, individual meetings) and transition to one of greater independence for advanced students. I strive to accommodate students’ individual needs and priorities within the constraints of the program requirements and my own constraints. Over time, I expect students to become more independent and to support and mentor junior colleagues in the lab. Students who generally thrive in the lab are those who are self-motivated, flexible, curious by nature, enjoy working with older adults and in a team framework, have some facility for statistics (i.e., longitudinal research designs) and who enjoy learning.
Meet Our Lab
Graduate Alumni
Research Opportunities
My work addresses health disparities through scholarship, teaching/training, and mentorship. My scholarship on cultural adaptations of evidence-based interventions addresses health disparities in access, acceptability, and effectiveness of treatment for ethnic and culturally diverse people.The work on cultural adaptations spans the gamut from specific trials (Amador Buenabad et al., 2019; Domenech et al., 2011; Parra-Cardona et al., 2017) to advances in theory development (Bernal & Domenech Rodríguez, 2012; Kofsloski & Domenech Rodríguez, 2017) to meta-analytic examination of impacts of cultural adaptations on treatment effectiveness (Smith et al., 2011; Soto et al., 2018).
Lab Director, Melanie Domenech Rodriguez
Recent Projects
There are a variety of projects within this area that focus on evaluation and implementation of GenerationPMTO, a premier evidence-based parent training intervention. Projects in this area include evaluation of culturally-adapted interventions, trials with ethnically and culturally diverse populations, and examination of training mechanisms (e.g., fidelity monitoring).
Projects in this area are primarily developed within the Latinx Immigrant Health Alliance (LIHA) collaborative group (ok to link to website here?). Projects in this area concern the health and wellbeing of Latinx immigrants, with a focus on persons who are undocumented and/or DACA recipients. LIHA scholars work closely with community-based organizations to ensure that the work is based on community needs. Current projects include (a) ongoing survey to monitor health and wellbeing of undocumented persons and (b) cultural adaptation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Online Guide (in collaboration with Dr. Michael Levin and the ACT Lab).
There are two main veins within this broad domain. The first concerns the shifts in attitudes, beliefs, and values in undergraduate students that take a Multicultural Psychology class on campus to better understand the impact of this course on aspects relevant to workforce development. The second concerns the development of attitudes and skills of Physician Assistants working with underserved and marginalized persons. These projects are funded by the Health Services and Resources Administration grants.
Recent Publications
Neuropsychiatric symptoms as risk factors for cognitive decline in clinically normal older adults: The Cache County Study.
Lifetime estrogen exposure and cognition in late life: The Cache county.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms in severe dementia: Associations with specific cognitive domains the Cache county dementia progression study.
Caregiver-care recipient relationship closeness is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia.
Use of FDA approved medications for Alzheimer’s disease in mild dementia is associated with reduced informal costs of care.
Sex Differences in Risk for Alzheimer's Disease Related to Neurotrophin Gene Polymorphisms: The Cache County Memory Study.
Nutritional Status is Associated with Faster Cognitive Decline and Worse Functional Impairment in the Progression of Dementia: The Cache County Dementia Progression Study.
Modelling assistive technology adoption for people with dementia.
Closer caregiver and care-recipient relationships predict lower informal costs of dementia care: The Cache County Dementia Progression Study.
The association of traumatic brain injury with rate of progression of cognitive and functional impairment in a population-based cohort of Alzheimer's disease: the Cache County Dementia Progression Study.
Dementia caregivers' coping strategies and their relationship to health and well-being: the Cache County Study.
Involvement
Students interested in getting involved with the lab can use the contact form below or email the lab director directly.
JoAnn Tschanz
Professor - Combined Clinical/Counseling Specialization