"MR Morphometrics and Cognitive Decline Rate in Large-Scale Aging Studies"

描述(由申请者提供)：他申请这项指导研究科学家发展奖的目的是获得所需的培训和研究经验，使我成为一名富有成效的独立研究员，研究基于神经成像的大脑结构标记物与晚年认知下降之间的关系。这个应用程序建立在我的图像处理计算培训的基础上，将我定位为一个多学科团队的有效成员，该团队将能够应用最先进的神经成像方法来研究与认知能力下降有关的问题，同时有效地与心理学家、病理学家和其他具有互补专业知识的科学家进行交流。职业发展计划加强了我在图像处理方面的基础，并以医学图像采集、统计学和流行病学、神经解剖学和心理学方面的重点培训为补充，使我能够熟练使用这些领域的研究工具。培训将通过有组织的正规课程安排、与地区导师的重点会议、座谈会和研讨会以及参加地方和国家一级的研究会议来获得。该研究计划开发了大规模研究基于成像的大脑结构测量与认知能力下降之间的关系所需的方法，并将该方法应用于基于人群的研究和一家学术痴呆症诊所的队列。其具体目的是：1)调查基于自动成像的侧脑室结构测量与随后的认知衰退之间的关系；2)将侧脑室结构与脑室周围结构的结构联系起来；3)将为前两个目标开发的自动图像处理方法应用于具有纵向成像和认知测量的大型人群队列，以交叉验证结果。本申请中概述的研究和职业发展将利用我独特的计算技能，成为一名有效的独立调查员，能够为我们对晚年认知衰退的生物学基础的不断演变的理解提供神经成像观点。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): his objective of this Mentored Research Scientist Development Award application is to obtain the training and research experience required for me to become a productive independent researcher investigating relationships between neuroimaging-based markers of brain structure and late-life cognitive decline. The application builds on my computational training in image processing to position me as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team that will be able to apply state-of-the-art neuroimaging methods to research questions related to cognitive decline while effectively interfacing with psychologists, pathologists, and other scientists with complementary expertise. The career development plan strengthens my foundation in image processing and supplements it with focused training in medical image acquisition, statistics and epidemiology, neuroanatomy, and psychology to make me a knowledgeable user of research tools from each of those areas. Training will be acquired through a structured program of formal coursework, focused meetings with area mentors, colloquia and seminars, and attendance of research meetings at a local and national level. The research plan develops the methodology required for large-scale study of relationships between imaging-based brain structure measures and cognitive decline, and applies the methodology to cohorts from population-based studies and an academic dementia clinic. The specific aims are to 1) investigate relationships between automated imaging-based measures of lateral ventricle structure and subsequent cognitive decline, 2) relate the structure of the lateral ventricles to the structure of periventricular structures, and 3) apply the automated image processing methodology developedfor the first two aims to large population-based cohorts with longitudinal imaging and cognition measures to cross-validate findings. The research and career development outlined in this application will leverage my unique computational skills into an effective career as an independent investigator able to contribute neuroimaging perspectives to our evolving understanding of the biological basis of late-life cognitive decline.