Transcript Excerpt from Recent Talk (Japan TIC8) on the VLS

Overview of the VLS:
Longitudinal and Epidemiological Research on Aging
Roger A. Dixon
Principal Investigator
Stuart W.S. MacDonald
Acknowledgements
• Funded in part by Grant R13AG030995-01A1
from the National Institute on Aging
• The views expressed in written conference
materials or publications and by speakers and
moderators do not necessarily reflect the official
policies of the Department of Health and Human
Services; nor does mention by trade names,
commercial practices, or organizations imply
endorsement by the U.S. Government.
VLS Support and Funding
Recent Funding
NIH R37 AG008235-20 (PI: Dixon)
AHS-FOMD: (PIs: Westaway, Dixon,
Jhamandas)
NIH R03 AG024082 (PI: Small)
Canada Research Chairs (PI: Dixon)
STINT (Sweden; PIs: Nilsson, Dixon
ACNAlberta Cognitive Neuroscience
Acknowledging VLS Collaborators
VLS Co-founders*/Executive
PI: Roger A. Dixon (University of Alberta)*
Christopher Hertzog (Georgia Tech)*
David Hultsch (University of Victoria)*
Stuart MacDonald (University of Victoria)
VLS Co-investigators and Consultants
Lars Bäckman (Karolinska Institute)
Richard Camicioli (University of Alberta)
Cindy de Frias (University of Texas)
Jack McArdle (Univ. of Southern California)
Lars-Göran Nilsson (Stockholm University)
Brent Small (University of South Florida)
Esther Strauss (University of Victoria)
Åke Wahlin (Stockholm University)
Toward Capturing Elements of the
Dynamics of Human Aging
 Large-Scale Longitudinal Studies (LSLS)
 Examples of existing LSLS, all of which have
some of the necessary features
 Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing
 Berlin Aging Study (BASE)
 Betula Project (Umeå)
 Seattle Longitudinal Study
 Victoria Longitudinal Study
Large-Scale Longitudinal Studies:
Contributions to Memory Aging
 LSLS Research Designs May Include Indicators of:
 Time: Change in Levels and Variability of Performance
 Observation: Gains, Losses, Maintenance
 Interpretation: Level, Resilience, Adaptation,
Compensation, Leading-Lagging
 Inputs: From Bio, Psycho, Social, Environmental Levels
 Output: Multiple Indicators of Cognitive Health/Disease
 Crossing: Interactions Within/Across Levels Over Time
 Risk Factors: Precursors to Loss
 Protection Factors: Promoting Maintenance or Managed
Loss
 Existing LSLS share logic, methods, and purview
A VLS Platform
Tracking Normal, Clinical, Healthy Transitions in
Human Aging
 Brief Background
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VLS Overall Research Headquarters: University of Alberta
VLS Satellite Research Lab: University of Victoria
Begun in the late 1980s (and continuing > 20 years)
Continuous Funding from U.S. National Institutes of Health
 Brief (Original) Rationale
– Recruit successive cohorts of healthy adults (ages 55-85 years) and
follow them longitudinally as they develop various aging-related
conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases.
– Conduct research on patterns, profiles, and precursors of
 Healthy/Successful Aging, Normal Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment,
Dementia
 Other emergent biological/health conditions
 Recent: BioAge, CVD, CerebroVD, T2D, Health Burden, Obesity,
Genetic/Epigenetic Markers
VLS Research Design
 Design: “Longitudinal Sequential”
 Three Main Cohorts (Samples):
 Initiated in VLS S1: 1980s; VLS S2: 1990s; VLS S3: 2000s
 Detail: Cohorts initially 55-85 years old and healthy
 Detail: Initial n per cohort = 500-600
 Plus control groups
 VLS N > 2000
 Detail: 3/4-year intervals between “waves”
 Detail: 12-14 hours of testing and data per wave
VLS Research Blueprint:
Main Longitudinal Samples
 VLS Sample 1 [Wave 7 (18 years) completed, now aged 73-103 years]
1987-88
Wave 1
1990-91
Wave 2
1993-94
Wave 3
1996-97
Wave 4
1999-00
Wave 5
2002-03
Wave 6
2005-06
Wave 7
 VLS Sample 2 [Wave 5 (12 years) completed, now aged 67-97 years]
1993-94
Wave 1
1996-97
Wave 2
1999-00
Wave 3
2003-04
Wave 4
2006-07
Wave 5
2009-10
Wave 6
2012-13
Wave 7
 VLS Sample 3 [Wave 3 (6 years) underway, now aged 61-91 years]
2001-03
Wave 1
2004-06
Wave 2
2008-09
Wave 3
2011-12
Wave 4
2014-15
Wave 5
2017-18
Wave 6
2020-21
Wave 7
The VLS “Sequential” Longitudinal Design
VLS Sample 1
(b. 1902-1932)
W1
W2
VLS Sample 2
(b. 1909-1939)
VLS Sample 3
(b. 1916-1946)
1980s
1990s
W3
W4
W5
W6
W7
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
W7
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
2000s
Historical Time
2010s
W6
Microscope on One Longitudinal
Sample of the VLS Design
VLS Sample X
(55-85 years)
CSL Data
Wave 1
VLS Sample X
(58-88 years)
3 years
Attrition:
One wave
of data
Morbidity
Mobility
Impairment
3-year Data
Wave 2
VLS Sample X
(61-91 years)
3 years
Attrition:
Two waves
of data
(3 years)
Morbidity
Mobility
Impairment
6-year Data
Wave 3
3 years
Attrition:
Three waves
of data
(6 years)
Morbidity
Mobility
Impairment
Sketch of VLS Protocol
Highlights of VLS Battery
Themes
(1) Cognitive and Neurocognitive Performance and Status
(2) Health and Medications
(3) Biomarkers, Fitness, Genetics, and “BioAge”
(4) Background, Life History, Affect, Activities, and Experience
Sketch of VLS Protocol
Constructs and Associated Indicators
1. Cognitive and Neurocognitive Performance and Status
 Memory
 Episodic (story recall, word list recall * 2)
 Semantic (fact recall, vocabulary)
 Working (sentence construction, listening span, computation span)
 Neurocognitive Speed and Inconsistency
 Semantic (semantic verification task, lexical decision task)
 Perceptual (identical pictures, number comparison, digit symbol)
 Reaction Time (simple RT, 2-4-8 choice RT)
 Memory Compensation and Metacognition
 Executive Functions
 Inhibition (Stroop), Updating (various WM tasks), Shifting (Color Trails)
 General Cognition (MMSE)
 Reasoning
 Letter series and letter sets
Sketch of VLS Protocol
Constructs and Associated Indicators
2. Health and Medications
 Comprehensive Health Inventory
 Conditions, Risk Factors, Frailty
 Medications
 Self-report
 Linkage consent
 Functional, Instrumental, and Subjective Health
 Health relative to others and perfect
 ADLs and IADLs
 Change in daily activity patterns
Sketch of VLS Protocol
Constructs and Associated Indicators
3. Biomarkers, Fitness, Genetics, and “BioAge”
 Physiological Function
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Anthropometric (height, weight, BMI, head circumference)
Pulmonary (peak expiratory flow)
Balance and Gait (timed walk, turn 360)
Muscle strength (grip test)
 Sensory Function
 Audition
 Vision
 Smell
 Genetics and Epigenetics
Sketch of VLS Protocol
Constructs and Associated Indicators
4. Background, Life History, Affect, Activities, and Experience
 Demographic, Personal Background, Family History
 Personal Data Sheet (PDS)
 Affect and Psychosocial
 Personality (NEO)
 Depression (CES-D)
 Well-being (Bradburn affect balance scale)
 Life Experience and Lifestyle Activities (Physical, Social, Cognitive)
 Activity Lifestyle Questionnaire (VLS-ALQ)
Activity Lifestyle Questionnaire
 VLS-ALQ consists of 64 items and six subscales representing 3
domains of everyday cognition, physical activity, and social activity
 The six activity subscales are identified as follows:
 Physical activity (e.g., jogging, walking); 4 items
 Self-maintenance (e.g., preparing a meal, shopping); 6 items
 Social activity (e.g., attending concerts, visiting friends); 7 items
 Hobbies/Home Maintenance (e.g., using the computer, playing an
instrument); 12 items
 Passive Information Processing (e.g., reading the paper, watching a
documentary); 8 items
 Novel Information Processing (e.g., completing income tax forms, playing
bridge); 27 items
Activity Lifestyle Questionnaire
 Items measured on a 9-point scale
VLS Contributions to the ActivityCognition Hypothesis
Hultsch et al (1999)
 Examined hypothesis that maintaining intellectual engagement through
participation in everyday activities buffers against cognitive decline
 N = 250 participants tested 3 times over 6 years
 Used SEM/latent change approach to examine associations between changes
in lifestyle variables and cognitive functioning
Psychology and Aging, 14, 245-263
VLS Contributions to the ActivityCognition Hypothesis
 Changes in intellectuallyengaging activities (Novel
CH) were systematically
linked to cognitive change
Findings imply that
 remaining cognitively active
buffers against decline
OR
 that high-ability individuals
lead intellectually-active lives
until cognitive declines limit
their participation
VLS Contributions to
Activity-Cognition Hypothesis
Bielak (2009)
 Summarized key unanswered questions in the “use it or lose it” literature
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How does activity engagement impact cognition, and which domains benefit most
Optimal methods for assessing activity engagement
Directionality of cognition-activity association
Moderators of relationship
Activity with largest impact on cognition
VLS Contributions to the ActivityCognition Hypothesis
Small et al (2010) -- Changes in Lifestyle Activities as
Moderators of Age-Related Declines in Cognitive Abilities
 examined whether multivariate changes in physical, social, or cognitive
lifestyle activities were related to cognitive change
 N = 952 participants tested up to 5 times spanning 12 years
Psychological Science (under review)
VLS Contributions to the ActivityCognition Hypothesis
 Applied latent change score models to examine associations between change
in activities and cognition
 limitations in cognitive lifestyle activities were linked to subsequent
declines in processing speed, episodic memory, and semantic memory
 results also indicated that poorer cognitive functioning was linked to
subsequent decrements in activity participation (particularly social activities)
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