Daniel Davidson Callow, PhD

Primary Academic Title

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Background

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-callow-phd-b7a9b49b/

Research Interests

modifiable lifestyle factors, brain health, physical activity, sleep, cognitive resilience, healthy brain aging, neuroimaging biomarkers, preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease risk

Core Facility

Psychiatric Neuroimaging Core

Research Summary

Dr. Callow’s research investigates how modifiable lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity and sleep, support cognitive resilience and healthy brain aging through their effects on diffusion imaging-based microstructure and Alzheimer’s disease–related pathology. His work integrates multimodal neuroimaging, including tau PET and advanced structural MRI, with objective wearable-based measures of behavior to identify neurobiological mechanisms linking lifestyle behaviors to cognition across aging and preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.

Across multiple studies, Dr. Callow has demonstrated that gray matter microstructure is a key mediator of the relationships between physical activity, sleep, and cognitive performance, and that these microstructural features confer resilience to tau pathology and amyloid-related risk. His findings highlight substantial heterogeneity in lifestyle–brain–cognition associations as a function of underlying pathology, underscoring the importance of precision approaches to lifestyle-based prevention.

Collectively, this work aims to inform the development of targeted lifestyle interventions designed to promote brain health, enhance cognitive resilience, and reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk in aging populations.

Google Scholar - Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6jxHQMIAAAAJ&hl=en

PubMed - Publications

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/daniel.callow.1/bibliography/public/

Selected Publications

Callow DD, Rani N, Alm KH, Pettigrew C, Miller M, Albert M, Bakker A, Soldan A. Hippocampal microstructure as a measure of cognitive resilience to tau PET burden in older adults. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2026 Feb;13(2):100454. doi: 10.1016/j.tjpad.2025.100454. Epub 2026 Jan 6. PubMed PMID: 41494889; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12869048.

Callow DD, Rani N, Alm KH, Pettigrew C, Soldan A, Sheikhbahaei S, Miller M, Albert M, Bakker A. Tau PET Burden Is Associated With Hippocampal Microstructure and Episodic Memory in Amyloid Positive Older Adults. Hippocampus. 2025 Nov;35(6):e70038. doi: 10.1002/hipo.70038. PubMed PMID: 41017680; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12536762.

Callow DD, Spira AP, Zipunnikov V, Pettigrew C, Faria A, Wanigatunga SK, Albert M, Bakker A, Soldan A. Independent associations of sleep and physical activity with cognition are mediated by hippocampal microstructure in middle-aged and older adults. Neurobiol Aging. 2025 Mar;147:22-31. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.11.011. Epub 2024 Dec 5. PubMed PMID: 39647405; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11783188.

Callow DD, Zipunnikov V, Spira AP, Wanigatunga SK, Pettigrew C, Albert M, Soldan A. Actigraphy Estimated Sleep Moderates the Relationship between Physical Activity and Cognition in Older Adults. Ment Health Phys Act. 2024 Mar;26. doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100573. Epub 2023 Dec 23. PubMed PMID: 38264712; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10803079.

Callow DD, Kommula Y, Stark CEL, Smith JC. Acute cycling exercise and hippocampal subfield function and microstructure in healthy older adults. Hippocampus. 2023 Oct;33(10):1123-1138. doi: 10.1002/hipo.23571. Epub 2023 Aug 1. PubMed PMID: 37526119; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10543457.