Neuropsychology and Cognition in Aging

描述(申请人提供)：认识到认知变化可能发生在年龄，从微妙的变化到坦率的痴呆症。检测和描述这些认知变化，以及了解它们的生理基础、诊断意义和功能相关性一直是一个主要的、不断增长的研究领域。神经心理学和认知心理学显然在这项研究中发挥了重要作用。我们已经建立了一个为期2到3年的培训计划，旨在为学员提供关于衰老认知和神经心理学的坚实研究背景。到目前为止，该计划在任何时候都支持2名学员。我们建议将学员人数增加到3人。学员接触并参与广泛的相关研究方法的研究，包括经典的神经心理学评估、实验认知技术、神经流行病学和认知神经成像。主要的重点是培养制定和开展研究所需的技能，并在同行评议的期刊上报告研究结果。初级培训是通过受训者和导师之间的关系进行的。提供正式的课程和研讨会以及更多非正式培训的机会。实习生被鼓励利用整个项目教员的专业知识。虽然我们的目标不是培训临床医生，但我们包括一些临床培训，因为这一领域需要专门的临床技能，而许多好的研究源于敏锐的临床观察。位于谢尔盖耶夫斯基中心和陶布研究所的认知神经科学部装备独特，可以提供拟议的培训。它的优势包括广泛的院系专业知识和正在进行的研究，可用于研究和临床培训的患者和正常老年人口的多样性，对多元文化研究的高度重视，以及可供咨询的教职员工的专业知识。 相关性：这项拟议的培训计划将使受训者掌握技能，为我们在神经心理学和衰老和痴呆症认知领域的知识做出重大贡献。鉴于预计老年人口的增加，加强对老龄化和老年病认知变化的性质、原因和后果的了解将是至关重要的，并将是开发或测试任何新干预措施所必需的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It is recognized that cognitive changes may occur in aging, ranging from subtle alterations to frank dementia. Detecting and characterizing these cognitive changes, as well as understanding their physiologic basis, diagnostic implication and functional correlates has been a major and growing research domain. Neuropsychology and cognitive psychology clearly play a major role in this research. We have established a 2 to 3-year training program designed to give the trainee a solid research background in the cognition and neuropsychology of aging. To date, the program supports 2 trainees at any one time. We propose to increase this to 3 trainees. The trainee is exposed to and participates in studies utilizing a broad range of interrelated research approaches, including classic neuropsychological evaluation, experimental cognitive techniques, neuroepidemiology, and cognitive neuroimaging. The primary emphasis is on fostering the skills needed to formulate and carry out research, and to report findings in peer-reviewedjournals. Primary training comes through the trainee-preceptor relationship. Formal classes and seminars plus opportunities for more informal training are available. Trainees are encouraged to avail themselves of the expertise of the entire program faculty. While our goal is not to train clinicians, we include some clinical training because this area requires specialized clinical skills and much good research stems from astute clinical observation. The Cognitive Neuroscience Division at the Sergievsky Center and Taub Institute is uniquely equipped to provide the proposed training. Its strengths include a wide range of faculties expertise and ongoing research, diversity of patient and normal elderly populations available for research and clinical training, a strong emphasis on multicultural research, and expertise of faculty members available for consultation. RELEVANCE: This proposed training program will equip trainees with the skills to make major contributions to our knowledge in the areas of neuropsychology and cognition in aging and dementia. Given the projected increases in older individuals, increased understanding of the nature, causes, and consequencesof cognitive changes in aging and diseases of aging will be crucial and will be required for developing or testing any new interventions.