Watching her vibrant mother grow older has made the challenges that come with aging feel particularly personal for researcher and epidemiologist Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH. Rosano, a professor of epidemiology at Pitt’s School of Public Health, studies the neurobiological factors behind aging and why some older adults seem more resilient to its effects.
“When I started this work 25 years ago and my mother was in her 60s, she was super active,” says Rosano. “Back then, I wanted to get everybody independent and able to walk. Now, I see there are objective physical limitations that come with age, which has changed my view of resilience and independence.”
These days, Rosano focuses her research on finding ways to empower individuals to pursue the goals that matter most to them. “When my mother is motivated and has an audience, she looks 10 years younger and even moves differently, putting on her cute shoes,” Rosano says with a smile. She adds that, as Italians, they take great pleasure in talking about their mothers—and, of course, shoes.
This playful insight into motivation and movement is closely aligned with her work as a population neuroscientist, where she explores how individual experiences and brain function intersect. Rosano examines the diversity of people’s experiences through the lens of neuroscience, which explores how the brain’s structure and function relate to health.
One of her primary areas of interest is understanding the differences between individuals who maintain a brisk gait as they age and those who walk more slowly, as well as the characteristics and factors that influence these variations.
Rosano’s research suggests that individuals with a quicker gait tend to have higher levels of dopamine—a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating movement, motivation and other functions. According to Rosano, dopamine is a crucial neurobiological factor in resilience, and essential for sustaining brain energy. Enhancing its levels may help restore mobility, motivation and the capacity for decision-making. “I’m fascinated by the promise of dopamine in promoting mood, motivation and mobility, and how some people have figured out a way to be efficient in the way they’re using their energy,” says Rosano.
The explosion of research tools and methods, particularly over the past decade, has allowed researchers to characterize individuals by physical and biochemical traits with unprecedented precision. By studying brain energetics—how the brain obtains, uses and regulates energy—and connecting this to the body, researchers like Rosano can gain a deeper understanding of the brain’s impact on muscle health and vice versa.
“The brain and body are in constant communication,” says Rosano. “It’s not just that the brain makes a muscle move; the brain constantly releases hormones that benefit the muscles, and the muscles release hormones that are equally beneficial for the brain.”
Working with colleagues at both the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan, Rosano is currently conducting studies in three populations. The first focuses on post-menopausal women in the Pittsburgh area with a history of preeclampsia or other pregnancy complications that may accelerate brain aging. The second involves adults aged 45 and older in Tobago, focusing on the crosstalk between muscle and brain health. The third examines adults aged 65 and older, investigating their ability to maintain fast movement despite age-related challenges in Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor, Mich.
Their goal, along with that of the next generation of scholars Rosano is training in this multidisciplinary field, is to uncover the complexities of brain resilience and develop individualized prevention and treatment strategies.
“If I could convince everyone, including my mother, that they have access to this type of resilience—and that they can harness it at any point in their lives—that would be incredibly important,” she says.