Alan Cohen

Assistant Professor,
Université de Sherbrooke
Département de médecine de famille
E-mail: alan.cohen@usherbrooke.ca
Institution page
Personal page



Education

  • PhD Biology, University of Missouri-2007
  • BA Biology and Asian Studies, University of Michigan-1999


Research

Dr.Cohen uses longitudinal epidemiological data to establish causal relationships between the mechanisms underlying aging and biomarkers. He applies similar methods to different species to understand how physiological regulatory networks operate at different time scales, and how to measure their impact on the evolution of physiology over time depending on environmental changes and selection pressure. In the long term, he hopes to generate a method for measuring biological age, which could be applied clinically.

QCBS students

Previous students (since 2009)

Patrick Bergeron

Postdoctoral fellow
Other (co-)supervisor: Alain Vanasse, Université de Sherbrooke
(Start: 2013, End: 2014)

Julie Landes

Postdoctoral fellow
(Start: 2017, End: 2018)
Other QCBS (co-)supervisor: Fanie Pelletier
Study of the senescence of bighorn sheep

Frédérik Dufour

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Pierre-Étienne Jacques, Université de Sherbrooke
(Start: 2016, End: 2020)
Étude de la dérégulation des systèmes physiologiques dans le vieillissement ; Approche bio-informatique

Yasmine SERME

Ph.D.
Other (co-)supervisor: Takser, Larissa
(Start: 2013, End: 2016)
Exposition aux ignifuges bromés, perturbateurs thyroïdiens d’origine environnementale, et développement cérébral chez les enfants de la cohorte GESTE.

Vincent Morissette-Thomas

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Taoufik Bouezmarni, Université de Sherbrooke
(Start: 2013, End: 2015)
Multivariate analysis of biomarkers to better characterize their impact on the aging process

Guillaume Provost

M.Sc.
Other (co-)supervisor: Tamàs Fülöp
(Start: 2018, End: 2019)
Ecological analysis of the immune system

Examples of species studied

Aphelocoma coerulescens
Schistocerca gregaria


Publications

77- Lack of consensus on an aging biology paradigm? A global survey reveals an agreement to disagree, and the need for an interdisciplinary framework
Cohen A A , Kennedy B K , Anglas U , Bronikowski A M , Deelen J , Dufour F , Ferbeyre G , Ferrucci L , Franceschi C , Frasca D , Friguet B , Gaudreau P , Gladyshev V N , Gonos E S , Gorbunova V , Gut P , Ivanchenko M , Legault V , Lemaître J , Liontis T , Liu G , Liu M , Maier A B , Nóbrega O T , Olde Rikkert M G , Pawelec G , Rheault S , Senior A M , Simm A , Soo S , Traa A , Ukraintseva S , Vanhaelen Q , Van Raamsdonk J M , Witkowski J M , Yashin A I , Ziman R , Fülöp T ,
2020 Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (Date Added: 2020-09-07)

76- Healthspan pathway maps in C. elegans and humans highlight transcription, proliferation/biosynthesis and lipids
Möller S , Saul N , Cohen A A , Köhling R , Sender S , Escobar H M , Junghanss C , Cirulli F , Berry A , Antal P , Adler P , Vilo J , Boiani M , Jansen L , Repsilber D , Grabe H J , Struckmann S , Barrantes I , Hamed M , Wouters B , Schoofs L , Luyten W , Fuellen G ,
2020 Aging (Date Added: 2020-08-04)

75- Estimation of homeostatic dysregulation and frailty using biomarker variability: a principal component analysis of hemodialysis patients
Nakazato Y , Sugiyama T , Ohno R , Shimoyama H , Leung D L , Cohen A A , Kurane R , Hirose S , Watanabe A , Shimoyama H ,
2020 Scientific Reports (Date Added: 2020-07-02)

74- Milk composition in a wild mammal: a physiological signature of phenological changes
Renaud L , Rousseu F , Blanchet F G , Cohen A A , Festa-Bianchet M , Pelletier F ,
2020 Oecologia (Date Added: 2020-07-01)

73- Chance events in aging
Steinsaltz D , Christodoulou M D , Cohen A A , Steiner U K ,
2019 Encyclopedia of Biomedical Gerontology (Date Added: 2020-03-05)

72- Are We Ill Because We Age?
Fulop T , Larbi A , Khalil A , Cohen A A , Witkowski J M ,
2019 Frontiers in Physiology (Date Added: 2020-01-15)

71- Are trade-offs really the key drivers of ageing and life span?
Cohen A A , Coste C F D , Li X , Bourg S , Pavard S ,
2019 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2019-11-08)

70- An Emergent Integrated Aging Process Conserved Across Primates
Wey T W , Roberge ,
2019 The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences (Date Added: 2019-10-17)

69- Health and aging: Unifying concepts, scores, biomarkers and pathways
Fuellen G , Jansen L , Cohen A A , Luyten W , Gogol M , Simm A , Saul N , Cirulli F , Berry A , Antal P , Köhling R , Wouters B , Möller S ,
2019 Aging and Disease (Date Added: 2019-09-15)

68- Causes and short-term consequences of variation in milk composition in wild sheep
Renaud L , Blanchet F G , Cohen A A , Pelletier F ,
2019 Journal of Animal Ecology (Date Added: 2019-04-28)

67- "physiological Dysregulation" as a Promising Measure of Robustness and Resilience in Studies of Aging and a New Indicator of Preclinical Disease
Arbeev K G , Ukraintseva S V , Bagley O , Zhbannikov I Y , Cohen A A , Kulminski A M , Yashin A I ,
2019 Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences (Date Added: 2019-04-01)

66- Conservation of physiological dysregulation signatures of aging across primates
Dansereau G , Wey T W , Legault V , Brunet M A , Kemnitz J W , Ferrucci L , Cohen A A ,
2019 Aging cell (Date Added: 2019-03-21)

65- Physiological predictors of reproductive performance in the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Fowler M A , Paquet M , Legault V , Cohen A A , Williams T D ,
2018 Frontiers in Zoology (Date Added: 2018-12-03)

64- Recognition of the polycistronic nature of human genes is critical to understanding the genotype-phenotype relationship
Brunet M A , Levesque S A , Hunting D J , Cohen A A , Roucou X ,
2018 Genome Research (Date Added: 2018-05-21)

63- Men sustain higher dysregulation levels than women without becoming frail
Cohen A A , Legault V , Li Q , Fried L P , Ferrucci L ,
2018 Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences (Date Added: 2018-05-05)

62- Immunosenescence and inflamm-aging as two sides of the same coin: Friends or Foes?
Fulop T , Larbi A , Dupuis G , Le Page A , Frost E H , Cohen A A , Witkowski J M , Franceschi C ,
2018 Frontiers in Immunology (Date Added: 2018-01-26)

61- Taxonomic diversity, complexity and the evolution of senescence
Cohen A A ,
2017 The Evolution of Senescence in the Tree of Life (Date Added: 2018-06-21)

60-Taxonomic diversity, complexity, and the evolution of senescence
Cohen A ,
2017 Cambridge University Press ( Date Added: 2018-05-10)

59- Eleven Telomere, Epigenetic Clock, and Biomarker-Composite Quantifications of Biological Aging: Do They Measure the Same Thing?
Belsky, DW, Moffitt, TE, Cohen, AA, Corcoran, DL, Levine, ME, Prinz, JA, Schaefer, J, Sugden, K, Williams, B, Poulton, R, Caspi, A
2017 American Journal of Epidemiology (Date Added: 2018-05-10)

58- Mother's curse neutralizes natural selection against a human genetic disease over three centuries
Milot, E, Moreau, C, Gagnon, A, Cohen, AA, Brais, B, Labuda, D
2017 Nature Ecology & Evolution (Date Added: 2018-05-10)

57- Letter to the Editor: RE: Costa et al. (‘‘Nutritional Risk is Associated with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Community-Dwelling Older Persons: The PAINEL Study’’)
Bagna M , Léonard G , Cohen A , Carrier J , Payette H ,
2017 Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics (Date Added: 2018-03-03)

56- Co-existence of multiple trade-off currencies shapes evolutionary outcomes
Cohen A A , Isaksson C , Salguero-Gómez R ,
2017 PLoS ONE (Date Added: 2017-12-21)

55- Deep transcriptome annotation enables the discovery and functional characterization of cryptic small proteins
Samandi S , Roy A V , Delcourt V , Lucier J , Gagnon J , Beaudoin M C , Vanderperre B , Breton M , Motard J , Jacques J , Brunelle M , Gagnon-Arsenault I , Fournier I , Ouangraoua A , Hunting D J , Cohen A A , Landry C R , Scott M S , Roucou X ,
2017 eLife (Date Added: 2017-12-21)

54- The mystery of life beyond menopause
Cohen A A ,
2017 Nature Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2017-12-21)

53- The risks of biomarker-based epidemiology: Associations of circulating calcium levels with age, mortality, and frailty vary substantially across populations
Cohen A A , Legault V , Fuellen G , Fülöp T , Fried L P , Ferrucci L ,
2017 Experimental Gerontology (Date Added: 2017-08-02)

52- Aging across the tree of life: The importance of a comparative perspective for the use of animal models in aging
Cohen A A ,
2017 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease (Date Added: 2017-07-28)

51- Initiating an antipsychotic drug treatment for schizophrenia: The situation in Quebec, Canada, from 1998 to 2006
Carrier J , Blais L , Cohen A , Courteau J , Roberge P , Larouche A , Grignon S , Fleury M , Lesage A , Demers M , Roy M , Delorme A , Vanasse A ,
2017 Sante Mentale au Quebec (Date Added: 2017-07-22)

50- Optimal Versus Realized Trajectories of Physiological Dysregulation in Aging and Their Relation to Sex-Specific Mortality Risk
Arbeev, KG, Cohen, AA, Arbeeva, LS, Milot, E, Stallard, E, Kulminski, AM, Akushevich, I, Ukraintseva, SV, Christensen, K, Yashin, AI
2016 Frontiers in Public Health (Date Added: 2018-05-10)

49- Deep biomarkers of aging are population-dependent
Cohen A , Morissette-Thomas V , Ferrucci L , Fried L ,
2016 Aging (Date Added: 2017-02-14)

48- Deep biomarkers of aging are population-dependent
Cohen, AA, Morissette-Thomas, V, Ferrucci, L, Fried, LP
2016 Aging (Date Added: 2016-11-23)

47- Comparative effectiveness and safety of antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia treatment: a real-world observational study
Vanasse, A, Blais, L, Courteau, J, Cohen, AA, Roberge, P, Larouche, A, Grignon, S, Fleury, M-J, Lesage, A, Demers, M-F, Roy, M-A, Carrier, J-D, Delorme, A
2016 Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (Date Added: 2016-08-04)

46-Taxonomic diversity, complexity, and the evolution of senescence
Cohen, AA
2016 The Evolution of Senescence in the Tree of Life ( Date Added: 2016-07-05)

45- Maternal levels of endocrine disruptors, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, in early pregnancy are not associated with lower birth weight in the Canadian birth cohort GESTE
Serme-Gbedo, YK, Abdelouahab, N, Pasquier, J-C, Cohen, AA, Takser, L
2016 Environmental Health : a Global Access Science Source (Date Added: 2016-05-27)

44- Association between Floods and Acute Cardiovascular Diseases: A Population-Based Cohort Study Using a Geographic Information System Approach
Vanasse, A, Cohen, A, Courteau, J, Bergeron, P, Dault, R, Gosselin, P, Blais, C, Belanger, D, Rochette, L, Chebana, F
2016 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Date Added: 2016-02-12)

43- Complex systems dynamics in aging: new evidence, continuing questions
Cohen, AA
2016 Biogerontology (Date Added: 2016-02-06)

42- Effects of categorization method, regression type, and variable distribution on the inflation of Type-I error rate when categorizing a confounding variable
Barnwell-Menard, J-L, Li, Q, Cohen, AA
2015 Statistics in Medicine (Date Added: 2016-05-09)

41- Frailty, Inflammation and Immunosenescence
Fulop, T, McElhaney, J, Pawelec, G, Cohen, AA, Morais, JA, Dupuis, G, Baehl, S, Camous, X, Witkowski, JM, Larbi, A
2015 Interdisciplinary Topics in Gerontology and Geriatrics (Date Added: 2016-03-07)

40- Homeostatic dysregulation proceeds in parallel in multiple physiological systems
Li, Q, Wang, S, Milot, E, Bergeron, P, Ferrucci, L, Fried, LP, Cohen, AA
2015 Aging Cell (Date Added: 2016-01-31)

39- Physiological Regulatory Networks: The Orchestra of Life?
Martin, LB, Cohen, AA
2015 (Date Added: 2015-11-30)

38- A theoretical model of the evolution of actuarial senescence under environmental stress
Watson, H, Cohen, AA, Isaksson, C
2015 Experimental Gerontology (Date Added: 2015-11-23)

37- Evolution and the Biology of Aging
Cohen, AA, Holmes, DJ
2015 Reference Module in Biomedical Research (Date Added: 2015-11-16)

36- Detection of a novel, integrative aging process suggests complex physiological integration
Cohen, AA, Milot, E, Li, Q, Bergeron, P, Poirier, R, Dusseault-Belanger, F, Fulop, T, Leroux, M, Legault, V, Metter, EJ, Fried, LP, Ferrucci, L
2015 PloS one (Date Added: 2015-09-29)

35- Neighbourhood immigration, health care utilization and outcomes in patients with diabetes living in the Montreal metropolitan area (Canada): a population health perspective
Vanasse, A, Courteau, J, Orzanco, MG, Bergeron, P, Cohen, AA, Niyonsenga, T
2015 BMC Health Services Research (Date Added: 2015-09-25)

34- Environmental Factors Associated With Social Participation of Older Adults Living in Metropolitan, Urban, and Rural Areas: The NuAge Study
Levasseur, M, Cohen, AA, Dubois, M-F, Genereux, M, Richard, L, Therrien, F-H, Payette, H
2015 American Journal of Public Health (Date Added: 2015-08-10)

33-On the immunological theory of aging
Fülöp, T
2014 Aging: Facts and Theories ( Date Added: 2016-07-05)

32- Inflamm-aging does not simply reflect increases in pro-inflammatory markers
Morrisette-Thomas, V, Cohen, AA, Fulop, T, Riesco, E, Legault, V, Li, Q, Milot, E, Dusseault-Belanger, F, Ferrucci, L
2014 Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (Date Added: 2016-07-05)

31- Trajectories of physiological dysregulation predicts mortality and health outcomes in a consistent manner across three populations
Milot, E, Morissette-Thomas, V, Li, Q, Fried, LP, Ferrucci, L, Cohen, AA
2014 Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (Date Added: 2015-12-21)

30- Beta-blockers are associated with increased risk of first cardiovascular events in non-diabetic hypertensive elderly patients
Brouwers, FM, Courteau, J, Cohen, AA, Farand, P, Cloutier, L, Asghari, S, Vanasse, A
2014 Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (Date Added: 2015-07-27)

29- Stress Responsive Biochemical Anabolic/Catabolic Ratio and Telomere Length in Older Adults
Vasunilashorn, S, Cohen, AA
2014 Biodemography and Social Biology (Date Added: 2014-11-17)

28- Cross-population validation of statistical distance as a measure of physiological dysregulation during aging
Cohen, AA, Milot, E, Li, Q, Legault, V, Fried, LP, Ferrucci, L
2014 Experimental Gerontology (Date Added: 2014-08-05)

27- Rapid behavioural gregarization in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria entails synchronous changes in both activity and attraction to conspecifics
Rogers, SM, Cullen, DA, Anstey, ML, Burrows, M, Despland, E, Dodgson, T, Matheson, T, Ott, SR, Stettin, K, Sword, GA, Simpson, SJ
2014 Journal of Insect Physiology (Date Added: 2014-05-27)

26- A novel integrative method for measuring body condition in ecological studies based on physiological dysregulation
Milot, E, Cohen, AA, Vézina, F, Buehler, DM, Matson, KD, Piersma, T
2014 Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

25-Fragilité et maladies chroniques: Définitions, controverses et perspectives d'action
Fulop, T
2013 La Fragilité des Personnes gées ( Date Added: 2016-07-05)

24-The importance of distinguishing mathematical and biological. Comment on Mate Choice and the Origin of Menopause plausibility.
Cohen, AA
2013 PLoS Computational Biology ( Date Added: 2016-07-05)

23- Circulating carotenoid levels are negatively associated with previous reproductive success in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
Cohen, AA, Bowman, R, Boughton, RK, Bridge, E, Heiss, RS, Schoech, SJ, McGraw, KJ
2013 Canadian Journal of Zoology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

22- A novel statistical approach shows evidence for multi-system physiological dysregulation during aging
Cohen, AA, Milot, E, Yong, J, Seplaki, CL, Fülöp, T, Bandeen-Roche, K, Fried, LP
2013 Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

21- Validating metabolic syndrome through principal component analysis in a medically diverse, realistic cohort
Dusseault-Belanger, F, Cohen, AA, Hivert, M-F, Courteau, J, Vanasse, A
2013 Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

20- Does elapsed time between first diagnosis of schizophrenia and migration between health territories vary by place of residence? A survival analysis approach
Ngamini Ngui, A, Cohen, AA, Courteau, J, Lesage, A, Fleury, M-J, Grégoire, J-P, Moisan, J, Vanasse, A
2013 Health and Place (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

19- Ecological immunology in a fluctuating environment: an integrative analysis of tree swallow nestling immune defense
Pigeon, G, Bélisle, M, Garant, D, Cohen, AA, Pelletier, F
2013 Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2013-09-17)

18-Favoriser la participation sociale et la santé de la population vieillissante grâce aux enquêtes populationnelles et à la géomatique : un exemple d’une initiative méthodologique possible
Levasseur, M
2012 Médecine Sciences ( Date Added: 2016-07-05)

17- Modified metabolic syndrome criteria for identification of patients at risk of developing diabetes and coronary heart diseases: longitudinal assessment via electronic health records
Hivert, M-F, Dusseault-Belanger, F, Cohen, A, Courteau, J, Vanasse, A
2012 The Canadian Journal of Cardiology (Date Added: 2016-07-05)

16- What does carotenoid-dependent coloration tell? Plasma carotenoid level signals immunocompetence and oxidative stress state in birds-a meta-analysis
Simons, MJP, Cohen, AA, Verhulst, S
2012 PLoS ONE (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

15- Specialized cardiological care may be overutilized in urban areas of Québec
Cohen, AA, Vanasse, A, Courteau, J
2012 European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

14- Physiological regulatory networks: Ecological roles and evolutionary constraints
Cohen, AA, Martin, LB, Wingfield, JC, McWilliams, SR, Dunne, JA
2012 Trends in Ecology and Evolution (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

13- Circulating carotenoid concentrations are positively correlated with later clutch initiation in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
Heiss, RS, Cohen, AA, Bowman, R, Boughton, RK, Bridge, E, McGraw, KJ, Schoech, SJ
2011 Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

12- The ecological significance of antioxidants and oxidative stress: A marriage between mechanistic and functional perspectives
McGraw, KJ, Cohen, AA, Costantini, D, Hõrak, P
2010 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

11- How to measure oxidative stress in an ecological context: Methodological and statistical issues
Hõrak, P, Cohen, A
2010 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

10- Ecological, biomedical and epidemiological approaches to understanding oxidative balance and ageing: What they can teach each other
Cohen, AA, De Magalhães, JP, Gohil, K
2010 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

9- The Summary Index of Malaria Surveillance (SIMS): A stable index of malaria within India
Cohen, AA, Dhingra, N, Jotkar, RM, Rodriguez, PS, Sharma, VP, Jha, P
2010 Population Health Metrics (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

8- No consistent effects of prenatal or neonatal exposure to Spanish flu on late-life mortality in 24 developed countries
Cohen, AA, Tillinghast, J, Canudas-Romo, V
2010 Demographic Research (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

7- Adult and child malaria mortality in India: A nationally representative mortality survey
Dhingra, N, Jha, P, Sharma, VP, Cohen, AA, Jotkar, RM, Rodriguez, PS, Bassani, DG, Suraweera, W, Laxminarayan, R, Peto, R
2010 The Lancet (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

6- No simple measures for antioxidant status in birds: Complexity in inter- and intraspecific correlations among circulating antioxidant types
Cohen, AA, McGraw, KJ
2009 Functional Ecology (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

5- Complexity in relationships between antioxidants and individual life-history parameters in a seabird and a songbird
Cohen, AA, Mauck, RA, Wheelwright, NT, Huntington, CE, McGraw, KJ
2009 Oikos (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

4- Serum antioxidant levels in wild birds vary in relation to diet, season, life history strategy, and species
Cohen, AA, McGraw, KJ, Robinson, WD
2009 Oecologia (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

3- Interspecific associations between circulating antioxidant levels and life-history variation in birds
Cohen, AA, McGraw, KJ, Wiersma, P, Williams, JB, Robinson, WD, Robinson, TR, Brawn, JD, Ricklefs, RE
2008 American Naturalist (Date Added: 2014-05-23)

2- Spectral mimicry: A method of synthesizing matching time series with different Fourier spectra
Cohen, JE, Newman, CM, Cohen, AE, Petchey, OL, Gonzalez, A
1999 Circuits, Systems, and Signal Processing (Date Added: 2011-03-22)

1- A novel experimental apparatus to study the impact of white noise and 1/f noise on animal populations
Cohen, AE, Gonzalez, A, Lawton, JH, Petchey, OL, Wildman, D, Cohen, JE
1998 Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (Date Added: 2011-08-26)