Harnessing knowledge of lifespan biological, health, environmental and psychosocial mechanisms of cognitive frailty for integrated interventions

认知脆弱跨学科网络(CFIN)的主要目标是促进从基础实验室研究到对生活产生真正影响的协作、多学科研究。重点放在解决以下挑战的研究上：缓解与年龄相关的认知脆弱和相关的健康寿命(健康状况良好的年限或比例)和生活质量差的发展。认知脆弱被定义为一种可变状态，其特征是同时存在身体虚弱和与年龄相关的认知障碍，但排除了现有的痴呆症。与年龄相关的认知缺陷问题是一个重大的社会挑战，因为它对我们老龄化人口的生活质量的影响越来越大，但从汇集不同领域的研究来看，这也是一个挑战。目前，许多关于衰老的研究都是在学科范围内进行的。因此，我们开始了解衰老过程的生物学机制，认知衰老的心理和神经生理过程，以及影响人类虚弱或认知衰退发展的外部环境、社会或个人健康行为因素。尽管已经有了关于认知老化的丰富知识，但学科之间的话语和知识交流很少，以至于近年来在寻找多维干预措施以预防、恢复或减少晚年认知脆弱方面的进展方面进展甚微。该网络旨在弥合基础、临床和社会科学研究之间的差距，以促进对老龄化的科学理解的转化。目标是在这一领域建立和运作一个跨越生物学、神经科学、心理学、流行病学、社会科学和公民参与等学科的重要网络，并与包括NHSA和国家老龄创新中心在内的一系列相互关联的网络支持组织相联系。通过与NIHR NWC ARC的链接，健康不平等评估工具(HIAT)的使用将被纳入该网络的所有研究和活动成果，以确保我们所做的一切都试图解决不平等问题，而不是加剧不平等。该网络的构建是为了产生影响，拥有一个重要的国际外部咨询小组(EAG)，一个经验丰富的PI/Co-I团队，以及领先机构的首批专家成员。除了通过我们自己的学科网络、多学科研究中心、学术学会以及将在早期举行的网络会议在国内和国际上建立该网络之外，成果还包括产生了一份关于干预的多因素途径的共识文件，一份关于生物机制和认知脆弱的外部预测因素之间相互作用的证据综合，一系列小型项目开发研究，以及在这些研究基础上提出的一系列更大的多学科成果研究建议。能力发展，特别是早期职业研究人员(ECR)的发展将是重点，并将建立跨学科指导伙伴关系的指导方案。我们还将邀请合作伙伴和成员提交关于ECR小型会议/暑期学校的想法。老年人和其他利益相关者(如照顾者)的参与是这个网络的关键部分，这一网络将得到来自Voice的Co-I的支持，Voice是一个利用公众的智力资本、洞察力和想法的成熟组织。他们将能够加强有意义的公众参与和参与小型协作项目以及整个网络的覆盖面和多样性。Voice将加强公民与一系列志愿组织和社区组织(包括慈善机构)之间的联系和合作。

The primary aim of the Cognitive Frailty Interdisciplinary Network (CFIN) is to promote collaborative, multidisciplinary research that moves along the pathway from basic laboratory studies through to having a real impact on lives. The focus is on research that addresses the challenge of alleviating the development of age-related cognitive frailty and related reduced healthspan (years, or proportion of one's life spent in good health), and poor quality of life. Cognitive frailty is defined as a variable condition characterised by simultaneous presence of physical frailty and age-related cognitive impairment, but the exclusion of existing dementia. The issue of age-related cognitive frailty is a major societal challenge in terms of its increasing impact on quality of life in our ageing populations, but it is also a challenge in terms of bringing together research from diverse fields. Currently, much research on ageing takes place within disciplines. We are thus beginning to learn much about the biological mechanisms of the ageing process, the psychological and neurophysiological processes of cognitive ageing and the external environmental, social or personal health behaviour factors that impact on the development of frailty or cognitive decline in humans. Despite this wealth of knowledge already available on cognitive ageing, there has been little discourse and knowledge exchange between disciplines such that there has been little progress in recent years in finding multi-dimensional interventions to prevent, rehabilitate, or reduce progress in cognitive frailty in later life. This network aims to bridge the gaps between basic, clinical and social science research to foster the translation of the scientific understanding of ageing. The objectives are focused on building and operationalising an important network in this area across disciplines including Biology, neuroscience, psychology, epidemiology, social science and citizen engagement, with an array of linked network support organisations including the NHSA and the National Innovation Centre for Ageing. With links to the NIHR NWC ARC, the use of a health inequalities assessment tool (the HIAT) will be incorporated into all research and activity outcomes of this network, to ensure that everything we do attempts to address, rather than make inequalities worse. The network is ideally constructed to deliver impact, with a significant international External Advisory Group (EAG) in place, an experienced PI/Co-I team, and an initial group of expert members across leading institutions. In addition to building the network Nationally and Internationally, via our own discipline networks, multidisciplinary research centres, learned societies, and via the network conference to be held early on, outcomes include production of a consensus paper on multi-factor pathways for intervention, an evidence synthesis of the interaction between biological mechanisms and external predictors of cognitive frailty, a series of mini-project development studies, and from these, a series of larger multidisciplinary outcome research proposals. Capacity development, particularly the development of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) will be a focus, with a mentorship programme whereby cross-disciplinary mentoring partnerships are set-up. We will also invite Co-Is and members to submit ideas for an ECR mini-conference/summer school. Involvement of older adults and other stakeholders such as carers is a crucial part of this network, which will be supported by the inclusion of a Co-I from VOICE, a well-established organisation that harnesses the mental capital, insights, and ideas of the public. They will be able to strengthen the reach and diversity of meaningful public engagement and participation in the mini collaborative projects and across the network. VOICE will strengthen links to and collaboration between citizens and a range of voluntary and community organisations (including charities).