Patterns and Predictors of Normal Cognitive Aging

描述（由申请人提供）：正常认知老化的模式和预测因素：指导研究科学家发展奖（K 01）老化。候选人Hiroko H.道奇博士，在人口学和统计学方面有很强的背景，在痴呆症流行病学方面有丰富的工作经验。她现在建议在健康认知老化的研究中走向独立的研究生涯。从广义上讲，K 01研究目标是研究健康老龄化人群样本随时间推移的认知功能，并完善该领域使用的方法。K 01学习目标是获得（1）神经心理学，神经科学，老年病学，老年学和流行病学的概念知识，（2）通过研究经验在这些领域的实践学习;和（3）在特定统计领域的进一步专业知识，特别是在处理缺失数据偏差方面。 为了完善临床护理和公共卫生规划，区分正常和 病理性认知老化，并确定正常老化的模式和预测因素。在非代表性临床或志愿者人群中进行了许多纵向研究。其他研究由于随访研究中不可避免的数据丢失而遭受“缺失数据偏倚”。关于与年龄相关的认知轨迹的数据相对缺乏，包括“人口规范”（范围，平均值和整个社区的平均值）和“健康规范”（无疾病和无残疾个体的认知能力分布）。 该研究计划包括对两个现有纵向数据集的分析，MOVIES项目（宾夕法尼亚州社区的15年流行病学研究），AHEAD/HRS研究（正在进行的具有全国代表性的美国样本的纵向研究），以及日本滋贺正在进行的队列研究中的新试点项目。候选人将首先描述纵向年龄相关的规范认知轨迹，应用最近开发的方法处理缺失数据偏倚。接下来，她将研究这些规范和保留的能力之间的关联进行日常生活的工具活动。这两种方法将允许定义“健康认知老化”的阈值。最后，利用上述知识和数据，她将开发一个新的协作R 01应用程序，以进行日美健康认知老化的跨国研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Patterns and predictors of normal cognitive aging : Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) in Aging. The candidate, Hiroko H. Dodge, PhD., has a strong background in demography and statistics, and substantial work experience in the epidemiology of dementia. She now proposes to move towards an independent research career in the study of healthy cognitive aging. Broadly, the K01 research goal is to study cognitive functioning over time in healthy aging population samples, and to refine the methodology used in this area. The K01 learning objectives are to gain (1) conceptual knowledge in neuropsychology, neuroscience, geriatrics, gerontology, and epidemiology, (2) practical learning in these areas through research experience; and (3) further expertise in specific statistical areas, especially in the handling of missing data bias. To refine clinical care and public health planning, it is critical to distinguish between normal and pathological cognitive aging, and to identify the patterns and predictors of normal aging. Many longitudinal studies have been conducted in non-representative clinical or volunteer populations. Other studies have suffered "missing data bias" due to the inevitable loss of data during follow up studies. There is a relative lack of data on normative age-associated cognitive trajectories, including "population norms" (ranges, averages, and percentiles in the community at large), and "healthy norms" (distribution of cognitive ability in diseasefree and disability-free individuals.) The Research Plan includes analyses of two existing longitudinal datasets, the MOVIES project (a 15- year epidemiological study in a Pennsylvanian community), the AHEAD/HRS study (an ongoing longitudinal study of a nationally representative U.S. sample), and a new pilot project within an ongoing cohort study in Shiga, Japan. The candidate will first describe longitudinal age-associated normative cognitive trajectories, applying recently developed methods in handling missing data bias. Next, she will examine the association between these norms and preserved ability to perform Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. These two approaches will allow a threshold to be defined for "healthy cognitive aging". Finally, using the above knowledge and data, she will develop a new collaborative R01 application to conduct a Japan-US cross national study of healthy cognitive aging.