'Dr. Indira Turney'Alma mater University of Virgin Islands (BS), Penn State University (PhD)

Indira Turney is an African American multifaceted neuroscientist. The primary objective of Dr. Turney's present research is identifying life-course socio-cultural mechanisms that underlie gaps in the molecular, structural, and functional architecture of the aging brain. Turney's purpose is to better understand the biological basis of prejudice, an issue that effects Black and Latinx communities disproportionately.

Education edit

Turney earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of the Virgin Islands. Turney then went on and earned her Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from Pennsylvania Statue University. Presently, Turney holds the esteemed position of postdoctoral neuroscientist at New York City's Columbia University Medical Center[1].

Early life and Research edit

Turney was born in the Commonwealth of Dominica, in the Caribbean. When she was younger, she remembers coming home from school and discovering her grandma was unaware of her identity. [2]This background sparked an interest in young Dr. Turney in studying the brain, brain aging, and brain health. [3]Dr. Turney's research would reveal that these effects are associated with the intricate interplay between ethnicity and lifestyle. The ultimate objective of Dr. Turney's research is to develop more effective methods for detecting, diagnosing, and treating Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in at-risk individuals.

Dr. Turney identified racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of cerebrovascular disease during old age and midlife. Human subjects from various races and ethnicities, including White, Black, and Latinx, are featured in the research. The correlation between environmental and sociocultural factors and intergenerational brain health was investigated by Dr. Turney using MRI and a comprehensive life history study. [4]In the end, findings of accelerated brain aging among African-American adults were uncovered by Dr. Turney. [5]It is critical to emphasize that the disparities in aging are the result of systemic prejudice, particularly about understudied black and Latinx individuals. Dr. Turney's ongoing investigation into the environmental determinants that contribute to increased susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease and associated dementias (ADRD) enables a reduction of these conditions associated with aging.

References edit

  1. ^ "Columbia University Irving Medical Center". Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  2. ^ Marvar, Alexandra (2023-08-16). "Racism and Dementia: A Q&A With Caribbean Neuroscientist Indira Turney". Being Patient. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  3. ^ Marvar, Alexandra (2023-08-16). "Racism and Dementia: A Q&A With Caribbean Neuroscientist Indira Turney". Being Patient. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  4. ^ Turney, Indira C.; Lao, Patrick J.; Rentería, Miguel Arce; Igwe, Kay C.; Berroa, Joncarlos; Rivera, Andres; Benavides, Andrea; Morales, Clarissa D.; Rizvi, Batool; Schupf, Nicole; Mayeux, Richard; Manly, Jennifer J.; Brickman, Adam M. (2023-01-01). "Brain Aging Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged and Older Adults". JAMA neurology. 80 (1): 73–81. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919. ISSN 2168-6157. PMC 9664371. PMID 36374494.
  5. ^ Webb, Christina E.; Turney, Indira C.; Dennis, Nancy A. (2016-12). "What's the gist? The influence of schemas on the neural correlates underlying true and false memories". Neuropsychologia. 93: 61–75. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.09.023. ISSN 0028-3932. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)