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

项目总结/摘要 阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆症（ADRD）不成比例地影响来自社会的个体 弱势群体，但寿命期心理社会压力因素在这些差异中的作用尚不确定。社会 网络被假设为对抗心理社会压力源的关键来源，但尚不清楚是否 他们缓和了压力源对ADRD风险的不利影响，或者社会因素提供的缓冲是否 网络在不同种族/民族群体中是一致的。睡眠障碍是一种潜在的 应激源可能增加ADRD风险的机制，但睡眠的介导作用尚未正式确定。 评估。了解心理社会压力的影响和可改变的复原力来源， ADRD风险的生物行为机制将指导潜在的干预措施，以减少ADRD的差异。 该提案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，准备她开始一个职业生涯，专注于减少ADRD的社会不平等。研究 建议应用因果推理方法来阐明早期社会之间的复杂关系， 不利因素，心理社会和生物行为因素，以及老年人的认知结果。的 具体目标是：1）量化累积压力源和认知功能之间的关联， 确定压力源如何解释认知功能的社会差异（F99论文研究）; 2） 确定社交网络和睡眠障碍在早期生活压力源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型 NIA资助的纵向队列：1）美国中年发展研究（MIDUS）（F99）;以及2） 凯泽健康老龄化和多样化生活经验研究（KHANDLE），一项将风险因素 在中年（40 - 50年前）收集的数据，以及对风险因素，认知能力下降， 在加州的老年非拉丁裔白人、黑人、亚洲人和拉丁裔人的样本中（K00）。 该奖学金申请符合2012年国家阿尔茨海默病项目法案优先解决社会问题 ADRD中的差异。拟议的项目将产生新的知识，并提供关键的培训， 候选人的进步，成为一个独立的流行病学家，专注于ADRD的差异， 发展以下方面的专门知识：1）心理社会压力的测量和机制（F99）; 2）因果推理 方法，包括中介模型（F99/K00）; 3）ADRD的流行病学和定量ADRD 研究方法，包括纵向分析和心理测量学（K 00）; 4）生理学和心理学 睡眠障碍（K00）;和5）专业技能的学术研究生涯（K00）。先进 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， 领导最高质量的老龄化研究所需的经验，并成功地作为一个独立的调查员。

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.