Dynamic pathways of cardiovascular, social and behavioral risk factors in cognitive aging

Effective treatments of late-life cognitive impairment and dementia are currently unavailable, stressing the need for preventive strategies. Evidence suggests old-age cognitive abilities are affected by several modifiable risk factors. However, the pathways leading to dementia are not fully understood.

The primary purpose of this project is to elucidate the, so far largely unknown, dynamic pathways by which cardiovascular, behavioral and social factors affect cognitive aging.

By using longitudinal data on more than 110,000 respondents from a cross-national longitudinal survey on health, retirement and aging, we are in a unique position to improve understanding of the etiological role of these risk factors in cognitive aging.

Nevertheless, the proposed research and the available data suggests that standard analysis methods will not be sufficient, and several statistical challenges must be addressed in parallel.

By considering risk factors as dynamic measures rather than as single static events, and by combining this rich longitudinal data with novel statistical machine learning approaches we will improve understanding of the pathways to cognitive impairment in old age.

Hence, this project has the potential to shed light on early prevention opportunities which, at the individual level, can positively impact cognitive health in aging. At the societal level these findings may translate into public health policies for dementia prevention.