DyNAMiC: A Longitudinal Lifespan Study of Functional and Molecular Correlates of Cognitive Decline in Aging

Cognitive impairment and dementia increase exponentially with advancing adult age. Such impairments come with major individual and societal costs. Hence, developing means of preserving brain and cognitive functioning in old age is of great importance.

However, current knowledge of the brain mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline is insufficient to inform the design of effective intervention programs. This stems largely from the paucity of longitudinal multimodal imaging data in relation to cognitive decline.

This is a serious omission as cross-sectional estimates of age-related changes deviate markedly from their longitudinal counterparts.

Thus, our current knowledge of the brain basis of age-related cognitive decline is imperfect at best and erroneous at worst.

Dopamine (DA) is a major modifiable neuromodulator, which provides a concrete target for pharmacological and cognitive intervention. However, no longitudinal data exist to estimate true trajectories of DA decline.

Relatedly, many scientific questions remain inconclusive such as: When do age-related changes in brain and cognition begin? What is the primary brain mechanism of such decline?

Do age-related changes in dopaminergic pathways result in changes in structural and functional connectome and, in turn, cognitive decline in aging?

Answering such questions will pave the way for ameliorating and delaying age-related cognitive impairments using prevention and intervention strategies.