Cortical Underpinnings of Gait and Falls in Aging: A Novel Brain-Body Imaging Approach

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PROJECT SUMMARY The Candidate is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The proposed K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award will foster the Candidate’s development as an independent translational researcher in the study of mobility decline in aging with a focus on cortical contributions. The overall goal of the proposed application is to provide the Candidate with training in advanced biomedical signal processing for integrated analysis of kinematic and EEG neurophysiological recordings during walking, to provide clinical exposure to geriatric and mobility assessment, and the design of longitudinal studies to help him achieve his long-term career goal of establishing independence as a translational researcher in the neuro-epidemiologyof mobility decline in aging. The Career Development Plan builds on the Candidate’s expertise in cognitive neuroscience of aging, obtained through prior training in behavioral and EEG electrophysiological assessment of age-related changes in cognitive and motor functions. A rigorous training plan is proposed, emphasizing formal instruction and hands-on clinical and research experience in biomedical signal processing, fall risk assessment, epidemiology, biostatistics, grant writing and research ethics. Training in advanced biomedical signal processing to determine kinematic-EEG signals during walking will be obtained through courses and one-on- one tutorials offered by the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at Einstein, the Biomedical Engineering Department at the City College of New York, MathWorksTM, and the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience in San Diego. Clinical exposure to geriatric and mobility assessment will be obtained through the Center for the Aging Brain and ongoing mobility investigations at the Cognitive & Motor Aging Lab. Training in epidemiological study design, biostatistics and research ethics will be obtained through the Clinical Research Training Program offered by the Einstein-Montefiore Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. A series of supplemental enrichment activities will complement didactic training and enhance the Candidate’s academic leadership skills. The accompanying mentored research project proposes a combined cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation to determine contributions of the central nervous system to age-related decline in moblitiy. The research proposal focuses on developing targeted applications of a novel EEG-based technique - Mobile Brain-BodyImaging (MOBI) during active walking to examine the link between gait, cognition and falls in aging. The Candidate will benefit from the combined resources on two funded Program Projects at Einstein: the Biological and Neural Mechanism of Fall (PI: J. Verghese) and the Central Control of Mobility In Aging (PI: R. Holtzer). At the institutional level, the Candidate has access to a diverse array of CTSA-sponsored Core resources such as Biostatistics and Study Design. Completion of the activities outlined in this KO1 application will provide clinical training and mentored research experiences that will prepare the Candidate to achieve his long-term goal of conducting innovative translational research to enhance cortical- based prevention and intervention to improve mobility and quality of life in older adults.