Grant: Operating Grant

At the start of this new century, Canada faces significant aging of its population as the proportion of seniors increases more rapidly than that of all other age groups. By 2026, one Canadian in five will be 65 years or older. Aging has a pronounced impact on mental abilities, particularly on learning and memory. Success in identifying and treating age-related brain diseases depends on understanding normal and optimal aging. Non-invasive neuroimaging is a vital tool in advancing towards this goal. The current proposal will use the most recent advances in neuroimaging to illustrate neural processes that accompany cognitive changes in normal aging. Thus, we will combine anatomical and behavioural measures to reveal if and how the normally aging brain causes age-related reductions in cognitive functions. In addition, we will test whether select genetic polymorphisms contribute to brain changes associated with aging. As a first step, we will validate our imaging predict cognitive aging in a large group of healthy adults spanning 18 to 90 years of age. All participants will undergo high-resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) scans together with comprehensive neuropsychological examination and genetic tests. The second step is to follow-up older participants (>60 years of age). These will have repeated brain scans and neuropsychological tests 3-years after their first visit. This will show us who will remain cognitively stable and who will develop cognitive deficits. In this subgroup we will also examine the long-term relationships between changes in frontal and temporal brain regions, individual cognitive changes, and genetic profiles. Studying neurocognitive aging will help us better characterize pathological and non-pathological changes in the brain throughout the lifespan and identify preclinical markers for cognitive decline.