Danielle D'Amico

Stream / Psychological Science

Prior research shows that chronically high levels of stress over long periods of time can have detrimental effects on cognitive health and brain function, increasing the risk of age-related cognitive decline and impairments. However, the effects of chronic stress on cognitive aging are not inevitable. As such, Danielle’s research aims to examine whether the impact of chronic stress across the lifespan on cognitive function in older adults can be mitigated by engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviours. Danielle’s Master’s thesis found that the relationship between chronic perceived stress and cognitive function in older adults was reduced among those consuming a healthy Mediterranean diet. Prior research, however, shows that healthy lifestyle behaviours often cluster together. Therefore, Danielle’s dissertation plans to take a more comprehensive approach by investigating if adherence to multiple lifestyle behaviours (eating well, staying physically active, maintaining proper sleep hygiene, engaging socially, and practicing mindful self-care) can buffer the association between high levels of chronic stress and poor cognitive function in older adulthood.

As a trainee member of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), Danielle has had the opportunity to conduct secondary data analyses on longitudinal cohort data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Healthy Aging showing that engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviours is associated with reduced cognitive decline over time among older adults. As part of her involvement with the CCNA, Danielle is also a Knowledge Exchange Champion working with knowledge translation experts, fellow researchers, and health care professionals to increase accessibility and usability of the Brain Health Food Guide, an evidence-based eating guide developed by CCNA researchers to support healthy brain aging through dietary intake. Additionally, she received a grant from the CCNA along with researchers at the University of Waterloo to develop a remote peer support program for older adults who wish to maintain brain-healthy lifestyle behaviours. Danielle has also been a Mitacs Accelerate intern and research assistant at the Rotman Research Institute where she was involved in data analysis and dissemination for a clinical trial assessing the usability and efficacy of online versions of the Memory and Aging Program® and Goal Management Training® among older adults with subjective cognitive complaints.

In addition to research, Danielle is also interested and actively engaged in community outreach through her involvement with the LIFE Institute at Ryerson University where she organizes and coordinates the Get Psyched course, a 6 week course designed for older adults in the community to learn about research being conducted by various graduate students in the psychology department. She is also the Ontario Co-Lead and Co-Founder of the Wisdom Exchange Project, a grassroots social exchange program that aims to connect graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in Ontario and Quebec with older adults living in the community to facilitate meaningful intergenerational friendships and reduce the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social isolation and loneliness.