8TH ANNUAL
NORNES LECTURESHIP in NEUROSCIENCE

“Understanding and Addressing Structural Racism and Health Inequities:
The ‘Sleep Exposome Across the Life Course’ Example.”

Dr. Chandra Jackson, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Concordia College Knutson Campus Center Centrum

6:00 p.m. Social | 7:00 p.m. Keynote

Dr. Chandra Jackson

Dr. Chandra L. Jackson is an Earl Stadtman Investigator who leads the Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Equity Research group in the Epidemiology Branch of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences with a joint affiliation in the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Dr. Jackson investigates physical and social environmental factors that impact disparities in sleep health and subsequent risk of cardiometabolic dysfunction. Her research has been presented at national as well as international scientific conferences and published in both academic journals like Lancet, JAMA Internal Medicine, the American Journal of Epidemiology, and SLEEP as well as major media outlets such as the US News & World Report and The New York Times. She has earned merit-based awards, including the Charlotte Silverman Award for outstanding commitment to public health, policy, and community outreach at Johns Hopkins, an Outstanding Fellows Award at Harvard, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. She earned a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a PhD in Epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and was an Alonzo Smythe Yerby Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health before becoming a Research Associate in the Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Science Center.

Dr. Chandra L. Jackson, Earl Stadtman Investigator, Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health

Did you know that the brains of middle age African-Americans show more signs of aging compared to white or Latinx folks?

In a study looking at hallmarks of aging, researchers found that Latinx and Black folks showed significantly more aging in their brains after the age of 65 compared to those of white folks. Interestingly, brains of middle-aged African Americans showed significantly more aging compared to age-matched white or Latinx folks. This may be due to the weathering effect due to the cumulative effects of oppression, environmental adversity, and physiological stress.

Racial discrimination is a precursor to detrimental long-term neurological changes

Racial discrimination has a variety of detrimental implications on minority groups, including lower life expectancy and a higher burden of diseases. The neural mechanisms behind these effects have been unclear; however, researchers are studying how discrimination alters brain responses. Hormones, heart rate, the anterior cingulate cortex, the prefrontal cortex, and the salience network differences have been studied between the different groups. Those experiencing discrimination have abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, which modulates the release of cortisol.

Smartphone use has increased over the last decades and has led to more children and teenagers gaining access to something that hurts their mental health.

Is it really “smart” for us to give children access to something that causes so much hurt? As smartphone and social media use has increased, so has mental distress, especially among the youth. Multiple studies show that teenagers who report serious mental distress increased from 24% in 2013, to 34% in 2015 and 39% in 2017. Between 2009 and 2014, hospital admission for intentional self-harm in teenage girls increased by 110%. Correlated to this information, social media and phone use have also increased over the years among the youth.

Did you know that Latinx babies with lessened nervous system reactions are more likely to have externalized behaviors later in life?

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) and environmental factors have shed light on the developing research of negative child behaviors. One major gap in this research is a focus on minority families living under adversity. A 7-year study examined ANS responses of Latinx 6-month-olds and their behaviors at 7 years. The study included two risk factors: maternal depression and overcrowded housing. Results indicated that babies with ANS withdrawal tended to have behavior problems later in life, ONLY if their mothers had chronic depression. Overcrowded housing did not affect ANS response and behavior problems.

Depression and nutritional correlations: Can food have an impact on how we feel?

From a nutritional neuroscience perspective, certain nutrients and foods have been linked to decreasing depression symptoms. Depression, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has been reported as a global burden of over 264 million people worldwide. Studies have found reduced hippocampal/parahippocampal volumes and a larger amygdala in depressed individuals. However, it has been found that a decreased amygdala volume is found in people with depression and suicidal tendencies.

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Rest assured, we know the importance of getting adequate, restful sleep during the pandemic and beyond. Join Dr. Marishka Brown, Director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and Dr. Chandra Jackson, an investigator for environment and sleep research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), for some very helpful and super practical tips. #CopingWithCOVID19 – not just a dream! For more NIH COVID-19 resources, visit: https://covid19.nih.gov/ or follow @nihgov on Instagram.

Coping with #COVID19:
Sleep and Health

The 2023 Nornes Lectureship in Neuroscience is hosted by the Concordia College Neuroscience Program faculty and students in the Neuroscience Senior Seminar class: Toni Baynes, Anna Dekkenga, Zimy Le, Dhruvika Patel, Olivia Pederson, Lexi Rademacher, and Kianna Snell. Joining us is special guest Dr. Peg Semrud ’72, faculty emeritus at the University of Minnesota.