Lifecourse Stressors and Social Disparities in Cognitive Aging: The Roles of Social Networks and Sleep Disturbance

项目摘要/摘要 阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆(ADRD)对来自社会的个人的影响不成比例 弱势群体，但寿命心理社会应激源在这些差异中的作用尚不确定。社交 网络被认为是抵御心理社会压力的关键来源，但目前还不清楚 它们缓和了压力源对ADRD风险的不利影响，或者无论社会提供的缓冲 网络在不同的种族/民族群体中是一致的。睡眠障碍是一种潜在的生物行为 应激源可能增加ADRD风险的机制，但睡眠的中介作用尚未正式确定 已评估。了解心理社会应激源和可改变的复原力来源的影响 ADRD风险的生物行为机制将指导潜在的干预措施，以减少ADRD差异。 该建议包括一项培训和研究计划，以发展候选人在ADRD方面的专业知识 研究，为她开始专注于减少ADRD社会不平等的职业生涯做好准备。这项研究 Proposal运用因果推理方法来阐明早期社会之间的复杂关系 老年人的劣势、心理社会和生物行为因素以及认知结果。这个 具体目标是1)量化累积应激源和认知功能之间的联系，以及 确定压力源如何解释认知功能的社会差异(F99论文研究)； 确定社会网络和睡眠障碍在早期生活压力的不利影响中的作用 四个种族/民族的ADRD风险(K00博士后研究)。这项研究将使用两个大的 NIA资助的纵向队列：1)美国中年发展研究(MIDUS)(F99)；2) Kaiser健康老龄化和多样化生活体验研究(KHANDLE)，一项将危险因素联系在一起的生命过程研究 中年(40-50年前)收集的数据，以及对风险因素、认知能力下降、 在加利福尼亚州的老年非拉丁裔白人、黑人、亚洲人和拉丁裔人中进行的样本中的痴呆症(K00)。 该奖学金申请符合2012年国家阿尔茨海默氏症项目法案的优先事项，以解决社会问题 ADRD方面的差距。拟议的项目将产生新的知识，并为 候选人晋升为专注于ADRD差异的独立流行病学家 发展1)心理社会压力的测量和机制(F99)；2)因果推断方面的专门知识 方法：包括中介模型(F99/K00)；3)ADRD流行病学和定量ADRD 研究方法，包括纵向分析和心理测量学(K00)；4)生理学和心理学 睡眠障碍(K00)；以及5)学术研究生涯的专业技能(K00)。先进的 该奖项提供的培训、指导和受保护的时间将为候选人提供技能和 领导最高质量的老化研究并作为独立调查者取得成功所需的经验。

Project Summary/Abstract Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) disproportionately affect individuals from socially disadvantaged groups, but the role of lifespan psychosocial stressors in these disparities is uncertain. Social networks are hypothesized to be key sources of resilience against psychosocial stressors, but it is unknown if they moderate the adverse effects of stressors on ADRD risk or whether the buffering provided by social networks is consistent across diverse racial/ethnic groups. Sleep disturbance is a potential biobehavioral mechanism via which stressors may increase ADRD risk, but the mediating role of sleep has not been formally evaluated. Understanding the effects of psychosocial stressors and modifiable sources of resilience and biobehavioral mechanisms on ADRD risk will guide potential interventions to reduce ADRD disparities. This proposal encompasses a training and research plan to develop the candidate’s expertise in ADRD research, preparing her to launch a career focused on reducing social inequalities in ADRD. The research proposal applies causal inference methods to elucidate the complex relationships between early social disadvantages, psychosocial and biobehavioral factors, and cognitive outcomes in older adulthood. The specific aims are to 1) quantify the association between cumulative stressors and cognitive function and determine how stressors explain social disparities in cognitive function (F99 dissertation research); and 2) determine the roles of social networks and sleep disturbances in the adverse effects of early-life stressors on ADRD risk across four racial/ethnic groups (K00 postdoctoral research). This research will use two large NIA-funded longitudinal cohorts:1) the Midlife Development in the United States Study (MIDUS) (F99); and 2) the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experience Study (KHANDLE), a life-course study linking risk factor data collected in mid-life (40-50 years ago) with contemporary assessments of risk factors, cognitive decline, and dementia in a sample of older non-Latino Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Latinos in California (K00). This fellowship application aligns with the 2012 National Alzheimer’s Project Act priority to address social disparities in ADRD. The proposed project will generate new knowledge and provide crucial training for the candidate’s advancement to become an independent epidemiologist focused on ADRD disparities by developing expertise in 1) measurements and mechanisms of psychosocial stress (F99); 2) causal inference methods, including mediation modeling (F99/K00); 3) the epidemiology of ADRD and quantitative ADRD research methods, including longitudinal analyses and psychometrics (K00); 4) the physiology and psychology of sleep disturbances (K00); and 5) professional skills for an academic research career (K00). The advanced training, mentorship, and protected time provided by this award will provide the candidate with the skills and experience necessary to lead the highest quality aging research and succeed as an independent investigator.