Approved Research

The Influence of Individual and Environmental Factors on the Trajectory of Cognitive Aging and its Neurobiological Mechanisms

Lay summary

Population aging is a rapidly escalating global issue that carries several negative repercussions. Notably, aging is associated with cognitive decline and neurological disorders, both of which deteriorate the quality of life for elderly individuals and their families, as well as incur substantial medical expenses. Consequently, investigating the variables that affect cognitive aging throughout the lifespan, and examining the associated neurobiological mechanisms have significant value.

The trajectory of cognitive functions during aging is the outcome of interactions between the biological organism and its environment. Protective factors such as higher education, bilingual education, physical exercise, and social activity can deter cognitive degeneration and reduce the incidence rate of cognitive diseases. Conversely, risk factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, low socioeconomic status, and poor physical health (e.g., self-assessed poor health, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) can hasten cognitive aging and precipitate the onset of neurological diseases.

Both individual and environmental factors can impact cognitive functions through influencing the brain. Protective factors may result in an individual having a 'brain age' that is younger than their biological age. In contrast, risk factors can accelerate brain aging, leading to a 'brain age' that surpasses the individual's biological age. We propose that brain age can be determined by both blood-based biomarkers and MRI data. Specifically, blood-based neurobiomarkers, such as amyloid and pTau, can provide indirect insights about the health status of the brain. Additionally, multimodal MRI data reveals more direct biological changes associated with cognitive aging.

Hence, our objective is to investigate how individual and environmental factors influence the trajectory cognitive aging. Here are our research aims: 1) Exploring factors that notably accelerate or decelerate the process of cognitive aging. We will construct the trajectories of cognitive functions in individuals with different lifestyles, living environments, health state different ages. 2) Determining the neurobiological mechanisms about how these factors accelerate or decelerate cognitive aging. Both the blood-based neurobiomarkers and multimodal MRI data will be used to depict the health status of the brain.