Faculty » Chandra A. Reynolds

My primary research focuses on how and why individuals differ from one another in health and cognition across development. Three principal projects approach these topics from different perspectives:

I. Why do some individuals show rapid decline in cognitive functioning with age while others remain stable or decline relatively less?
My work in this area has entailed: identifying the most sensitive ways of looking at cognitive change, examining twin similarity and differences in change, considering health and psychosocial correlates of change, and gene-environment interactions. With support from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), I am continuing the investigation of cognitive decline in older adult Swedish twins with a focus on genes in cholesterol, inflammatory, and related pathways that may influence cognitive change and decline (AG028555).

II. What early life and life-course factors are important to cognitive maintenance, health and longevity?
Continuing projects span US and Scandinavian populations and examine the influence of early-life and social contexts on later cognition, health, and well-being. I am a co-investigator on the longitudinal Colorado Adoption Project, examining early life factors and contexts that influence cognitive, health and well-being profiles into the early-adulthood period (HD010333). In addition, I participate in a consortium of longitudinal twin studies that explores the basis of association among early life adversity and social factors on diverse aging outcomes (AG037985). Additional related projects include studies of the interrelationships between physical health and psychosocial trajectories on later life health and longevity in the Terman Life Cycle Study.

III. What are the implications of mate selection on resolving heritable and environmental influences on behavioral and health traits?
Mate similarity is an important but sometimes overlooked question in behavioral genetic research. I have conducted studies evaluating spouse similarity and familial transmission for a variety of traits including education and fluid ability, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine consumption. Continuing work in my lab includes examinations of dyadic marital traits, personality, health and longevity outcomes.

Selected Publications

Reynolds, C.A., Gatz, M., Pedersen, N.L., & Prince, J.A. (2011). An assessment of CETP sequence variation in relation to cognitive decline and dementia risk. International Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics, 2, 122–129.

Sharp, E.S., Reynolds, C.A., Pedersen, N.L., & Gatz, M. (2010). Cognitive engagement and cognitive aging: is openness protective? Psychology & Aging, 25, 60-73.

Kern, M.L., Reynolds, C.A., & Friedman, H.S. (2010). Predictors of Physical Activity Patterns Across Adulthood:  A Growth Curve Analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36,1058-1072.

Reynolds C.A., Gatz, M., Prince, J.A., Berg, S., & Pedersen, N.L. (2010). Serum lipid levels and cognitive change in late life. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 58, 501-509.

Reynolds, C.A., Hong, M-G., Eriksson, U., Blennow, K., Wiklund, F., Johansson, B., Malmberg, B., Berg, S., Alexeyenko, A., Grönberg, H., Gatz, M., Pedersen, N.L., & Prince, J.A. (2010). Analysis of lipid pathway genes indicates association of sequence variation near SREBF1/TOM1L2/ATPAF2/ with dementia risk. Human Molecular Genetics, 19, 2068-2078.

Friedman H.S., Kern M.L., & Reynolds C.A. (2010). Personality and Health, Subjective Well-Being, and Longevity. Journal of Personality,78, 179-216.

Finkel, D., Reynolds, C.A., McArdle, J.J., Hamagami, F., & Pedersen, N.L. (2009). Genetic variance in processing speed drives variation in aging of spatial and memory abilities. Developmental Psychology, 45, 820-834.

Reynolds, C.A., Gatz, M., Berg, S., & Pedersen, N.L. (2007). Genotype-Environment Interactions: Cognitive Aging and Social Factors. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 10, 241-254.

Reynolds, C.A., Fiske, A., Fratiglioni, L., Pedersen, N.L., & Gatz, M. (2006). Heritability of an age-dependent categorical phenotype: Cognitive dysfunction. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 17-23.

Reynolds, C.A., Prince, J.A., Feuk, L., Gatz, M., & Pedersen, N.L. (2006). Longitudinal memory performance during normal aging: twin association models of APOE and other Alzheimer candidate genes. Behavior Genetics, 36, 185-94. <Supplemental Appendix Material>

Reynolds, C.A., Barlow, T., & Pedersen, N.L. (2006).  Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine use: Spouse similarity processes. Behavior Genetics, 36, 201-15. <Supplemental Appendix Material>

Reynolds, C.A., Jansson, M., Gatz, M., & Pedersen, N.L. (2006). Longitudinal change in memory performance associated with HTR2A polymorphism. Neurobiology of Aging, 27, 150-4.

Reynolds, C.A., Finkel, D., McArdle, J.J, Gatz, M., Berg, S. & Pedersen, N.L. (2005). Quantitative genetic analysis of latent growth curve models of cognitive abilities in adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 41, 3-16.

Reynolds, C. A., Gatz, M., & Pedersen, N. L. (2002). Individual variation for cognitive decline: Quantitative methods for describing patterns of change. Psychology & Aging, 17, 271-287.

Reynolds, C.A., Baker, L.A., & Pedersen, N.L. (2000). Multivariate models of mixed assortment: phenotypic assortment and social homogamy for education and fluid ability. Behavior Genetics, 30, 455-476.