Maddison Mellow
Personalising dementia risk reduction strategies through understanding the complex interplay of lifestyle, genetics and sociodemographic factors for brain health
Award
Dementia Australia Research Foundation Project Grant
Status
In progress
Start Date
1 April 2026
About the project
What is the focus of the research?
Investigating how the way older adults use their time across a full 24-hour day, including physical activity, sitting and sleep, affects brain health and dementia risk.
Why is this important?
Current dementia prevention advice often takes a one-size-fits-all approach, especially around physical activity. However, research shows that what benefits a person’s brain may depend on individual genetic risk profiles or early brain changes.
Rather than focusing on physical activity alone, Dr Mellow will explore how activity rest and sleep work together to support cognition. By understanding how these activities interact to impact brain health over time, this project will address a major gap in dementia prevention and help explain why past prevention trials have had mixed results.
Using long-term lifestyle and genetics data from more than 400 older Australians, along with genetic testing, Dr Mellow aims to identify what an optimal day looks like for older people based on their genes, health and personal characteristics.
What could it mean for older adults?
- More personalised advice about activity, sleep and sitting for brain health.
- Prevention strategies tailored to genetic risk and health status.
- Practical, realistic changes that fit everyday life.
- Better chances of delaying or reducing dementia risk.
Where are they now?
Dr Mellow is a research fellow in the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) Research Centre at Adelaide University.
