Lenore Joy Launer, Ph.D.

Senior Investigator

Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Science

NIA

View Site

251 Bayview Boulevard
Room 09C218
Baltimore, MD 21224

301-496-6214

launerl@nia.nih.gov

Research Topics

Studies in the Neuroepidemiology Section focus on understanding the contribution of genetic, inflammatory, metabolic, vascular, and hormonal factors to sub-clinical and clinical outcomes in brain disease and investigating the links between brain disease and other common diseases of old age. Research is conducted using large epidemiologic studies, which allow us to test in the general population, hypotheses on risk/protective factors and mechanisms identified at a more basic science level.

Biography

Dr. Launer received her Ph.D. in epidemiology and nutrition from Cornell University. From 1990 to 1999 she held academic appointments in the Netherlands (Erasmus University Medical School, Free University, National Institute for Public Health) where she collaborated in many epidemiologic studies of neurologic diseases including dementia and migraine headache. Dr. Launer joined NIA as Head of the Neuroepidemiology Unit in February 1999 and is currently Chief of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences.

Selected Publications

  1. Palm-Meinders IH, Koppen H, Terwindt GM, Launer LJ, Konishi J, Moonen JM, Bakkers JT, Hofman PA, van Lew B, Middelkoop HA, van Buchem MA, Ferrari MD, Kruit MC. Structural brain changes in migraine. JAMA. 2012;308(18):1889-97.
  2. SPRINT MIND Investigators for the SPRINT Research Group., Williamson JD, Pajewski NM, Auchus AP, Bryan RN, Chelune G, Cheung AK, Cleveland ML, Coker LH, Crowe MG, Cushman WC, Cutler JA, Davatzikos C, Desiderio L, Erus G, Fine LJ, Gaussoin SA, Harris D, Hsieh MK, Johnson KC, Kimmel PL, Tamura MK, Launer LJ, Lerner AJ, Lewis CE, Martindale-Adams J, Moy CS, Nasrallah IM, Nichols LO, Oparil S, Ogrocki PK, Rahman M, Rapp SR, Reboussin DM, Rocco MV, Sachs BC, Sink KM, Still CH, Supiano MA, Snyder JK, Wadley VG, Walker J, Weiner DE, Whelton PK, Wilson VM, Woolard N, Wright JT Jr, Wright CB. Effect of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control on Probable Dementia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2019;321(6):553-561.
  3. Ding J, Sigurðsson S, Jónsson PV, Eiriksdottir G, Charidimou A, Lopez OL, van Buchem MA, Guðnason V, Launer LJ. Large Perivascular Spaces Visible on Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Progression, and Risk of Dementia: The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study. JAMA Neurol. 2017;74(9):1105-1112.
  4. Moonen JE, Sabayan B, Sigurdsson S, van Buchem MA, Gudnason V, Meirelles O, Launer LJ. Contributions of Cerebral Blood Flow to Associations Between Blood Pressure Levels and Cognition: The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study. Hypertension. 2021;77(6):2075-2083.
  5. Elbejjani M, Auer R, Jacobs DR Jr, Haight T, Davatzikos C, Goff DC Jr, Bryan RN, Launer LJ. Cigarette smoking and gray matter brain volumes in middle age adults: the CARDIA Brain MRI sub-study. Transl Psychiatry. 2019;9(1):78.

Related Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Thursday, March 24, 2022