Self-Regulation and Brain and Cognitive Health in Older Adults

典型的老年人经历大脑结构和认知功能的下降，但这些平均下降发生在非常不同的个人轨迹的背景下。该项目的目的是测量老年人随着时间的推移自我调节（思想，情绪，行为和冲动的控制）的个体差异和变化，并将自我调节与身体活动，炎症和与阿尔茨海默病发展相关的神经认知健康轨迹联系起来。这项纵向研究始于2001年，并于2006年获得R 01资助，由一个在衰老，自我调节，运动科学，神经心理学，神经影像学，阿尔茨海默病以及纵向设计和分析方面具有专业知识的研究团队提交。上一个更新期的重点是自我调节方面之间的关系及其与免疫和心血管健康的关系。更新继续评估这些措施，以提供该纵向数据集的连续性，并在纳入重复神经成像和评估传染病负担方面增加了创新。具体而言，本研究的目的是：（1）检验自我调节各方面的效果（2）测试身体活动和炎症介导的自我调节和神经认知健康之间的关系的程度;（3）测试是否与执行认知功能相关的神经认知健康（例如，（4）测试传染病负荷（潜伏病毒、弓形虫）对自我调节、炎症和神经认知健康以及阿尔茨海默病风险的影响。每隔6个月，老年人（N = 175）将完成自我报告的自我调节措施;执行认知功能，包括抑制，转移和工作记忆;和静息HRV。将在每次访视时测量体力活动、BMI和腰围。采血将与这些访视同步，对这些样本进行的检测将捕获血清促炎细胞因子和抗潜伏感染的抗体。样本具有1-15年的许多这些指标的随访数据，并且合格子集（N = 90）已经具有基线神经成像。神经影像学检查将每隔2年重复进行两次。这次更新将在其动态系统的纵向评估方面具有创新性，包括大脑，行为和免疫力;将神经影像学措施与健康和不健康老龄化的其他领域相结合;以及神经认知健康的多模式评估，包括与阿尔茨海默病和其他痴呆症风险相关的措施：主观认知健康、认知功能、体积成像测量、连通性、各向异性分数和静息脑血流。

Summary The typical older adult experiences declines in brain structure and cognitive function, but these mean declines occur in the context of what can be very different individual trajectories. The purpose of this project is to measure individual differences and changes in self-regulation (control of thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and impulses) over time in older adults, and to link self-regulation to physical activity, inflammation, and trajectories of neurocognitive health relevant to development of Alzheimer’s disease. This is a competing renewal of this longitudinal study, which began in 2001 and received R01 funding in 2006, submitted by a research team with expertise in aging, self-regulation, exercise science, neuropsychology, neuroimaging, Alzheimer’s disease, and longitudinal design and analysis. The previous renewal period focused on relationships among facets of self-regulation and their relationship to immunological and cardiovascular health. The renewal continues assessment of these measures to provide continuity in this longitudinal dataset and adds innovation in the inclusion of repeated neuroimaging and assessment of infectious disease burden. Specifically, the aims of the study are: (1) to test the effects of facets of self-regulation (conscientiousness, self-regulation, executive cognitive function, and heart rate variability) on measures of neurocognitive health associated with aging and risk for Alzheimer’s disease; (2) to test the degree to which the relationship between self-regulation and neurocognitive health is mediated by physical activity and inflammation; (3) to test whether neurocognitive health associated with executive cognitive functions (e.g., dorsolateral frontal lobe volume) contributes to better self-regulation, higher physical activity, and lower inflammation; and (4) to test effects of infectious disease burden (latent viruses, Toxoplasma gondii) on self-regulation, inflammation, and neurocognitive health and risk for Alzheimer’s disease. At 6-month intervals, older adults (N = 175) will complete measures of self-reported self-regulation; executive cognitive functions including inhibition, shifting, and working memory; and resting HRV. Physical activity, BMI, and waist circumference will be measured at each visit. Blood draws will be synchronized with these visits, and assays performed on these samples will capture serum proinflammatory cytokines and antibodies against latent infections. The sample has follow-back data on many of these measures from 1-15 years, and an eligible subset (N = 90) will already have baseline neuroimaging. Neuroimaging will be repeated twice at 2-year intervals. This renewal will be innovative in its longitudinal assessment of a dynamic system that includes brain, behavior, and immunity; integration of neuroimaging measures with other domains of healthy and unhealthy aging; and multimodal assessment of neurocognitive health, including measures associated with risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias: subjective cognitive health, cognitive function, volumetric imaging measures, connectivity, fractional anisotropy, and resting cerebral blood flow.