Expertise
Environmental Health and Neuro-Epidemiology
Research Interests
- The role of the gut microbiome in brain health
- Metabolomics and brain health
- Epidemiology of neurodegenerative disease
Education
- Sc.D., Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Biosketch
Palacios is an epidemiologist with over 10 years of experience in epidemiological studies of neurological disease. Her research interests include traditional neuro-epidemiology, as well as the role of the microbiome and metabolomics in brain health. She is currently PI of an R01 from the NINDS to study the gut microbiome in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Palacios collaborates extensively with investigators at the Harvard School of Public Health, in the Department of Veterans Affairs and at UMass Chan Medical School.
Selected Publications
- Sahasrabudhe, N., Lee, J., Scott, T.M., Punnett, L., Tucker, K.L., Palacios, N. (2020). Serum Vitamin D and Depressive Symptomatology among Boston-Area Puerto Ricans. The Journal of nutrition.
- Palacios, N., Scott, T., Sahasrabudhe, N., Gao, X., Tucker, K.L. (2019). Lower Plasma Vitamin B-6 is Associated with 2-Year Cognitive Decline in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. The Journal of nutrition, 149(4) 635-641.
- Palacios, N., Scott, T., Sahasrabudhe, N., Gao, X., Tucker, K.L. (2019). Serum vitamin D and cognition in a cohort of Boston-area Puerto Ricans. Nutritional neuroscience, 1-8.
- Palacios, N., Fitzgerald, K., Roberts, A.L., Hart, J.E., Weisskopf, M.G., Schwarzschild, M.A., Ascherio, A., Laden, F. (2014). A prospective analysis of airborne metal exposures and risk of Parkinson disease in the nurses’ health study cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives, (9).
- Palacios, N., Fitzgerald, K., Roberts, A.L., Hart, J.E., Weisskopf, M.G., Schwarzschild, M.A., Ascherio, A., Laden, F. (2014). A Prospective Analysis of Airborne Metal Exposures and Risk of Parkinson Disease in the Nurses’ Health Study Cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(9) 933 - 938.
- Palacios, N., Ascherio, A. (2013). Reply to: Diabetes and risk of Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders, 28(2) 258.
- Palacios, N., Gao, X., O’Reilly, E., Schwarzschild, M., McCullough, M.L., Mayo, T., Gapstur, S.M., Ascherio, A.A. (2012). Alcohol and risk of Parkinson’s disease in a large, prospective cohort of men and women. Movement Disorders, (8) 980.
- Palacios, N., Gao, X., McCullough, M.L., Schwarzschild, M.A., Shah, R., Gapstur, S., Ascherio, A. (2012). Caffeine and risk of Parkinson’s disease in a large cohort of men and women. Movement Disorders, 27(10) 1276.
- Palacios, N., Claire Simon, K. (2012). Commentary: Smoking and multiple sclerosis, cause or coincidence?. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 1 106 - 107.
- Palacios, N., Gao, X., Schwarzschild, M., Ascherio, A. (2012). Declining Quality of Life in Parkinson Disease Patients before and after Diagnosis (P06. 064). Neurology, 78(1 Supplement) P06–064.
- Palacios, N., Roberts, A., Weisskopf, M., Schwarzschild, M., Laden, F., Ascherio, A. (2012). E-002: Exposure to Airborne Metals and risk of Parkinson Disease in a Prospective Study of US Women. Epidemiology, 23(5S).
- Palacios, N., Claire Simon, K. (2012). Smoking and multiple sclerosis, cause or coincidence?. Multiple Sclerosis And Related Disorders, 1(3) 106 - 107.
- Palacios, N., Gao, X., McCullough, M.L., Jacobs, E.J., Patel, A.V., Mayo, T., Schwarzschild, M.A., Ascherio, A. (2011). Obesity, diabetes, and risk of Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders, 26(12) 2253.
- Gao, X., Lyall, K., Palacios, N., Walters, A., Ascherio, A., Gao, X., Lyall, K., Palacios, N., Walters, A.S., Ascherio, A. (2011). RLS in middle aged women and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in their offspring. Sleep Medicine, 12(1) 89 - 91.
- Palacios, N., Alonso, A., Brønnum-Hansen, H., Ascherio, A. (2011). Smoking and Increased Risk of Multiple Sclerosis: Parallel Trends in the Sex Ratio Reinforce the Evidence. Annals of Epidemiology, 21 536 - 542.
- Palacios, N., Alonso, A., Brønnum-Hansen, H., Ascherio, A. (2010). Variations in the gender ratio of multiple sclerosis linked to converging smoking trends in men and women.