Approved Research

Association of sensory impairment, disequilibrium and cognitive frailty

Lay summary

Cognitive frailty is common in the elderly population. Sensory functions include taste, smell, touch, hearing, and sight, as well as spatial orientation and ability of balance. Sensory function and equilibrium declines with age. In turn, sensory impairments and disequilibrium predicts accelerated cognitive aging. However, There remains unclear the relationship between sensory impairment, disequilibrium and cognitive frailty.

The current research aims to 1) understand how sensory impairment, disequilibrium relate to cognitive function/frailty; 2) find human fluid, blood and multiple omics indicators can be used to indicate cognitive frailty, explore the potential mechanisms that may explain this relationship; 3)reveal the information on any intervention to improve sensory function and balance ability that can prevent people from cognitive frailty. The UK Biobank data will be particularly useful in terms of providing brain structure and function, clinical biomarkers for understanding sensory and balance impairment in cognitive frailty. Findings will provide a better understanding of potential influencing of sensory input on cognitive frailty, and will highlight the importance of intervening in different sensory systems to Slow or reverse cognitive decline.