A research article authored by Mathew Gendle (assistant professor, psychology), Andrea Spaeth (Honors Fellow ’07), Sarah Dollard (’07), and Cindy Novak (Elon wellness coordinator) has been published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.
“Functional relationships between serum total cholesterol levels, executive control, and sustained attention” describes work (much of which was completed by Spaeth for her Honors thesis) demonstrating that significant decrements in cognitive function are associated with elevations in blood cholesterol levels.
These findings are of significant importance to public health, as they suggest that in addition to being detrimental to cardiovascular wellness, elevated levels of blood cholesterol may also have significant negative behavioral consequences in everyday life situations.