RF1AG070931

UNDERSTANDING HOW SOCIAL COGNITION PROTECTS OLDER ADULTS' COGNITIVE HEALTH: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS - PROJECT SUMMARY THIS RENEWAL APPLICATION USES BEHAVIORAL, NEUROIMAGING, AND NETWORK SCIENCE APPROACHES TO TEST THE NOVEL HYPOTHESIS THAT SOCIAL COGNITION – THE PROCESS BY WHICH PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, STORE, AND APPLY INFORMATION ABOUT OTHERS – CONFERS RESILIENCE TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (AD) AND IS STIMULATED THROUGH SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS. SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS IS A MODIFIABLE LIFESTYLE FACTOR THAT IS A PROMISING TARGET FOR DELAYING THE ONSET OF AD AND RELATED DEMENTIAS. IN THE PRIOR FUNDING PERIOD, WE FOUND THAT MAINTAINING SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS THROUGH LARGE, LOOSELY CONNECTED PERSONAL SOCIAL NETWORKS (SOCIAL BRIDGING NETWORKS) CONFERS RESILIENCE TO COGNITIVE DECLINE AND AD. CRITICALLY, WE IDENTIFIED SOCIAL COGNITION AS A KEY MECHANISM UNDERLYING THIS RELATIONSHIP, AND FOUND THAT SOCIAL COGNITIVE FUNCTION EXPLAINS UP TO 15 PERCENT OF OLDER ADULTS’ EPISODIC MEMORY LOSS 2-3 YEARS LATER. TOGETHER, THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT SOCIAL COGNITIVE FUNCTION MAY BE AN INDICATOR OF COGNITIVE DECLINE, THOUGH NO PRIOR WORK HAS EXAMINED THIS POSSIBILITY. THE CURRENT PROJECT USES RIGOROUS LONGITUDINAL, NEUROIMAGING, AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES FROM A LARGE AND UNIQUE DATASET TO TEST THIS POSSIBILITY. IN AIM 1, WE LEVERAGE ONGOING AND NEW DATA COLLECTION WITH MORE THAN 300 OLDER ADULTS ACROSS TWO SITES, INCLUDING THE INDIANA AD RESEARCH CENTER, TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL COGNITIVE DECLINE ON COGNITIVE DECLINE OVER TIME. AIM 2 IS SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF AN EXISTING AND UNIQUE NEUROIMAGING DATASET THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER SOCIAL COGNITION IS A FORM OF ENRICHMENT THAT MEDIATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AND COGNITIVE RESILIENCE. FINALLY, AIM 3 USES WELL-VALIDATED EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATIONS AND SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE APPROACHES TO EXAMINE THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AND OLDER ADULTS’ SOCIAL COGNITION. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON INNOVATIVE FINDINGS FROM A PRODUCTIVE ONGOING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION AND LEVERAGES SIGNIFICANT EXISTING NIH INVESTMENTS IN AD RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE TO TEST NOVEL LONGITUDINAL AND EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHESES. AS SUCH, IT WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INSIGHTS INTO CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SOCIAL NETWORKS, BRAIN NETWORKS, SOCIAL COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND COGNITIVE RESILIENCE AMONG OLDER ADULTS. THIS KNOWLEDGE IS CRITICAL FOR IDENTIFYING EFFECTIVE SOCIAL INTERVENTION TARGETS FOR AD PREVENTION AND HEALTHY COGNITIVE AGING. THE LONG-TERM GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO IMPROVE THE CLINICAL COURSE OF AD AND REDUCE THE PREVALENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF DEMENTIA.

Trustees Of Indiana University

<P>THE GOALS ARE:</P><UL><LI>TO FOSTER FUNDAMENTAL CREATIVE DISCOVERIES, INNOVATIVE RESEARCH STRATEGIES, AND THEIR APPLICATIONS AS A BASIS FOR ULTIMATELY PROTECTING AND IMPROVING HEALTH;</LI><LI>TO DEVELOP, MAINTAIN, AND RENEW SCIENTIFIC HUMAN AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES THAT WILL ENSURE THE NATION'S CAPABILITY TO PREVENT DISEASE;</LI><LI>TO EXPAND THE KNOWLEDGE BASE IN MEDICAL AND ASSOCIATED SCIENCES IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE NATION'S ECONOMIC WELL-BEING AND ENSURE A CONTINUED HIGH RETURN ON THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH; AND</LI><LI>TO EXEMPLIFY AND PROMOTE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY, PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY, AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE CONDUCT OF SCIENCE.</LI></UL><P>IN REALIZING THESE GOALS, THE NIH PROVIDES LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION TO PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE NATION BY CONDUCTING AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH:</P><UL><LI>IN THE CAUSES, DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION, AND CURE OF HUMAN DISEASES;</LI><LI>IN THE PROCESSES OF HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT;</LI><LI>IN THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS;</LI><LI>IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL, ADDICTIVE AND PHYSICAL DISORDERS; AND</LI><LI>IN DIRECTING PROGRAMS FOR THE COLLECTION, DISSEMINATION, AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION IN MEDICINE AND HEALTH, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT OF MEDICAL LIBRARIES AND THE TRAINING OF MEDICAL LIBRARIANS AND OTHER HEALTH INFORMATION SPECIALISTS.</LI></UL>

93.866 - Aging Research

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

Bloomington, Indiana 474057007 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-25-301)