Santiago Clocchiatti-Tuozzo, MD, a T32 postdoctoral research fellow conducting research in neurocritical care, received the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2024 Futures in Neurologic Research Scholarship in recognition of his abstract, “Enhanced Benefits of the Life’s Essential 8 in APOE Epsilon 4 Carriers.”
The scholarship provides funds to successful medical student, resident, or fellow applicants, which enable them to attend the AAN annual meeting. As the 2024 recipient of this scholarship, Clocchiatti-Tuozzo also benefitted from presenting research and networking with world-renowned neurologists at the meeting, held in Denver, Col., from April 13-18.
He presented his award-winning research as a poster at the meeting. Having drawn participants from the UK Biobank, a large longitudinal study based in the United Kingdom, this study found that those with the Epsilson 4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene reap greater cardiovascular benefits than non-carriers, when adhering to the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Essential 8TM. Life’s Essential 8 is a set of eight recommended lifestyle tips that promote cardiovascular fitness.
Clocchiatti-Tuozzo presented another poster at the meeting for another abstract entitled “Life’s Essential 8 and Brain Health Clinical Outcomes in Middle-Aged Adults.” This study assessed middle-aged participants from the UK Biobank and All of Us (a United States-based, large prospective cohort) studies, and found a positive correlation between poorer adherence to the Life’s Essential 8 guidelines and poorer brain health.
The research team for both studies includes: Cyprien Rivier, MD, MSc; Daniela Renedo, MD; Shufan Huo, MD, PhD; Victor Torres Lopez; Adam de Havenon, MD, MSCI; Kevin Sheth, MD; Thomas Gill, MD; and Guido Falcone, MD, ScD.