NIA seek input from a small expert group, organized by Committee on Population (CPOP) and the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) on how genetics can inform social and behavioral models in order to foster interdisciplinary research in this area. The recent availability in large longitudinal studies of aging (e.g., the Health and Retirement Study, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study) has afforded the opportunity for researchers to explore the genetic underpinnings of behavioral and social phenotypes that appear to explain differences in health and disease. Higher educational attainment, for example is linked to many important positive health and well-being outcomes, including relative protection from Alzheimer?s disease. Recently, one large consortium has presented evidence that specific gene variants do explain a small fraction of the variability in educational attainment (Rietveld et al., 2013 Science), but how we will incorporate this and other expected future findings into behavioral and social models is unclear. This NAS activity will help NIA foster new research and collaborations between genetics and behavioral/social science.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
Type
Research and Development Contracts (N01)
Project #
263201200074I-0-26300039-1
Application #
8756078
Study Section
Project Start
2013-09-30
Project End
2014-09-29
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$45,000
Indirect Cost
Name
National Academy of Sciences
Department
Type
DUNS #
041964057
City
Washington
State
DC
Country
United States
Zip Code
20418