U24AG072701

Network for Emotional Wellbeing and Brain Aging (NEW Brain Aging) - Project Summary:

Early evidence indicates an association between emotional (eudaimonic and hedonic) wellbeing (EWB) and underlying brain processes, and that those processes change with both normal and pathological brain aging. However, the nature of these associations, the mechanisms by which EWB and its component domains change with brain aging, and how those changes may be associated with common neuropathologies like Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), are largely unexplored.

The objective of the Network for Emotional Wellbeing and Brain Aging (NEW Brain Aging) is to address priority area #2 - mechanistic research on the role of emotional wellbeing in health - of RFA-AT-20-003, identifying and testing mechanisms by which brain aging influences EWB and how EWB may impact risk for and progression of ADRD.

Synthesizing human and animal literature, our premise is that relationships between EWB and ADRD are bidirectional - normal and pathological changes in aging brain influence EWB and EWB contributes to brain health and illness, such as ADRD. Further, we hypothesize that the relationships between EWB and the brain in older adults reflect aging-associated heterogeneity of brain (i.e., resilience, typical aging, or neuropathological changes), and that they are mediated by processes of appraisal and adaptation.

To do so, we will form a national, transdisciplinary collaborative that includes investigators representing research expertise in human and animal neuroimaging, stress regulation, ADRD research, EWB, and computational/quantitative methods. With direction from an executive committee and guided by an external advisory committee, NEW Brain Aging will undertake these specific aims:

(1) To build an inter-university and transdisciplinary collaborative of senior and junior investigators interested in brain, aging, and EWB research from both human and animal fields.

(2) To form a series of time-limited workgroups with relevant experts in the field, each working over 1-2 years, to establish priorities for NEW Brain Aging activities in each of three general areas: (A) brain mechanism research of EWB; (B) research of EWB's impact on ADRD; and (C) translational animal and cross-species brain research methods.

(3) To coalesce and coordinate resources to ensure the rigor and reproducibility of the brain-related EWB research.

(4) To provide three types of pilot funding through rigorous peer review: (A) pilot research grants for junior faculty related to brain mechanism studies related to the relationship between EWB and dementia using human or animal models; (B) proof-of-concept grants for established investigators to test aspects related to EWB in their existing studies and cohorts of brain aging; (C) seed collaboration grants for cross-species brain research related to EWB.

(5) To evaluate the network by tracking its activities, resource usage, and productivity, and conducting collaborative network density analysis throughout the 4-year grant.

(6) To ensure the wide dissemination of NEW Brain Aging products.

By accomplishing these aims, we will strengthen a research network focusing on the brain mechanistic understanding of EWB and the relationship between EWB and ADRD.

University Of Rochester

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]

Rochester, New York 14642 United States

Single Zip Code

Emotional Well-Being: High-Priority Research Networks (U24, Clinical Trial Optional) (RFA-AT-20-003)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 01/31/25 to 01/31/26 and the total obligations have increased 296% from $659,041 to $2,607,802.