Short-term cognitive change in adults from 18 to 80

 描述（由申请人提供）：这是一项继续研究的申请，最初于2001年开始，并于2005年扩展为纵向研究，称为弗吉尼亚认知老化项目（VCAP）。超过2，300名18 - 95岁的成年人现在已经完成了至少两次纵向研究，平均2.7次，平均研究时间为5.1年。在下一个资助期内提出的研究将扩大对各种认知措施的短期纵向变化的调查，特别强调80岁以下的成年人。虽然以前的研究发现，在涉及年轻人和中年人的纵向比较中，认知变化很少或没有变化，但本研究采用了三种方法上的创新，即可变的重测间隔，每次测量的爆发，以及不断招募新的参与者，这有助于区分年龄效应和经验（重测）效应，并且通过考虑性能中的正常短期可变性来增加检测变化的灵敏度。需要调查的主要问题包括：正常的与年龄相关的认知变化开始的时间，不同认知变量的变化在成年期不同时期相互独立的程度，先前的测试经验对不同年龄认知变化的方向和幅度的作用，认知或身体生活方式等因素在多大程度上缓和了成年期不同时期不同认知能力的年龄相关变化，以及认知老化的正常和病理轨迹可以在多早的时候被区分出来。下一个资助期的具体目标是：（1）扩大对18至80岁左右正常认知老化的定性;（2）扩大对经验影响对认知变化作用的调查;（3）调查不同分析水平和广泛年龄范围内认知变化的结构和性质;（4）扩大对老年人认知能力的研究。和（4）增加VCAP测试的敏感性，以检测VCAP参与者中认知病理学的早期阶段。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application to continue research originally started in 2001, and expanded into a longitudinal study, known as the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project (VCAP), in 2005. Over 2,300 adults 18 - 95 years old have now completed at least two longitudinal occasions, with an average of 2.7 occasions and an average time in study of 5.1 years. The research proposed in the next funding period will extend the investigation of short-term longitudinal change in a broad variety of cognitive measures, with particular emphasis on adults under the age of 80. Although previous studies have found little or no cognitive change in longitudinal comparisons involving young and middle-aged adults, this research employs three methodological innovations, variable retest intervals, measurement bursts at each occasion, and continuous recruitment of new participants, that help distinguish age effects from experience (retest) effects, and that increase sensitivity to detect change by taking into account normal short-term variability in performance. Among the primary questions to be investigated are when does normal age-related cognitive change begin, the degree to which changes in different cognitive variables are independent of one another at different periods in adulthood, the role of prior test experience on the direction and magnitude of cognitive change at different ages, the degree to which factors such as one's cognitive or physical lifestyle moderate the amount of age-related change in different cognitive abilities at various periods in adulthood, and how early can normal and pathological trajectories of cognitive aging be distinguished. Specific aims during the next grant period are to: (1) Expand the characterization of normal cognitive aging across the range from about 18 to 80 years old; (2) Extend the investigation of the role of experience effects on cognitive change; (3) Investigate the structure and nature of cognitive change across different levels of analysis and across a wide range of ages; and (4) Increase sensitivity of VCAP tests to detect early stages of cognitive pathology among VCAP participants.