With a rapidly aging global population, identifying factors that accelerate or protect against cognitive and brain decline has become a critical public health priority. This project will integrate multimodal data to elucidate the mechanisms of risk and resilience underlying trajectories of aging. We will examine how genetic and epigenetic vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease, as well as exposure to stress and trauma, psychopathology, traumatic brain injury, and metabolic dysfunction, contribute to early accelerated aging indicators in brain structure, function, and cognition. In parallel, we will identify genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors that promote resilience in brain integrity and cognitive performance across the lifespan. By combining these data streams, this research will advance understanding of how adversity and adaptation interact to shape neural and cognitive aging. Ultimately, these findings will inform the development of modifiable targets and intervention strategies to promote brain health and healthy aging.
