R01AG074573

Purpose in Life: Mechanisms to Support Healthier Cognitive Aging and Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease - Project Summary

Purpose in life is the belief that one's life and activities are goal-oriented, directed, and worthwhile. This belief is consistently associated with better outcomes, including greater engagement in health-promoting behavior (e.g., less smoking, more physical activity), fewer chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes), and ultimately greater longevity.

Independent of behavioral and clinical factors, purpose in life is associated with better cognitive outcomes, including lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). ADRD remains a significant challenge to patients, their families, and the healthcare system, as it is one of the leading causes of death that lacks disease-modifying treatments or cures.

There is a growing literature that shows that purpose in life is protective across the arc of the ADRD disease spectrum: it is associated with better performance on cognitive tasks and less cognitive decline prior to dementia onset, it is protective against cognitive impairments, both mild and severe, and even after diagnosis, it is associated with fewer behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.

In a parallel literature, there is consistent evidence from randomized controlled trials that purpose in life is malleable and can be increased through intervention. Purpose in life is thus poised to be a powerful target of intervention to improve cognitive outcomes, from maintaining cognitive function in middle adulthood to improving outcomes in dementia care.

The next step in intervention development is to identify the putative mechanisms of action hypothesized to change in response to the intervention and explain the relation between purpose and better cognitive outcomes. Once these mechanisms are identified, interventions that increase purpose to improve cognitive outcomes can be developed and tested.

As a step toward this long-term goal, the present study will use ecological momentary assessments (EMA) to identify the daily mechanisms responsible for the association between purpose in life and healthier cognitive outcomes. In particular, we will test the hypothesis that purpose in life is associated with greater momentary engagement and better momentary cognition, which will support healthier cognitive function over time.

We will address these associations in three groups considered critical populations for intervention: older adults with subjective cognitive impairment, older adults with healthy cognition, and middle-aged adults. This research will provide much-needed information on putative mechanisms of action that explain how purpose protects cognition. Such information is critical to develop purpose interventions that promote healthier cognitive aging.

Florida State University

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

Tallahassee, Florida 323043556 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 354% from $757,116 to $3,433,663.