The goal of this proposal is to determine if one can improve models of age-related decline on a """"""""real world"""""""" cognitive task by adding assessments of longitudinal brain volume changes to the model. We will collect longitudinal structural MRI data on a subset of the 100+ aviators participating in our ongoing longitudinal study of pilot performance: 60 subjects, 55 years of age or older, will be scanned three times each across a span of four years (Y0, Y2, Y4). Half of the sample will possess an Apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon 4 allele (e4 carriers), a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Our primary hypotheses are: Annualized rate of atrophy, as assessed by longitudinal MR volumetric measures, can account for individual differences in the rate of decline in flight simulator performance, beyond that explained by measures of processing speed and working memory, APOE e4 carrier status, and aviation experience. We will also examine whether baseline MR measures are as useful as longitudinal MR measures, for the aim of achieving earlier identification of individuals at risk of decline. Volumetric measures of hippocampus and frontal lobe will be the MR predictors in the primary hypothesis, as our perspective is that safely flying an airplane to its intended destination involves memory for routes and multi-tasking skills. The primary outcome measure is rate of decline in flight summary scores, using a highly quantified flight simulator test involving multi-tasking. For several years we have been following a group of older small-aircraft pilots' performance in a quantified flight simulator. Data clearly show effects of age on performance; however, there is substantial heterogeneity in performance over time among aviators. We propose to enhance our set of predictors by the addition of highly quantified MR volumetric measures to better explain in whom and how functional decline occurs.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01AG021632-01A1
Application #
6687444
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BDCN-6 (01))
Program Officer
Wagster, Molly V
Project Start
2003-08-15
Project End
2008-07-31
Budget Start
2003-08-15
Budget End
2004-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$270,996
Indirect Cost
Name
Palo Alto Institute for Research & Edu, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
624218814
City
Palo Alto
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94304
Taylor, Joy L; Scanlon, Blake K; Farrell, Michelle et al. (2014) APOE-epsilon4 and aging of medial temporal lobe gray matter in healthy adults older than 50 years. Neurobiol Aging 35:2479-2485
Adamson, Maheen M; Bayley, Peter J; Scanlon, Blake K et al. (2012) Pilot expertise and hippocampal size: associations with longitudinal flight simulator performance. Aviat Space Environ Med 83:850-7
Adamson, Maheen M; Hutchinson, J Benjamin; Shelton, Amy L et al. (2011) Reduced hippocampal activity during encoding in cognitively normal adults carrying the APOE ?4 allele. Neuropsychologia 49:2448-55
Sanchez, M Millan; Das, D; Taylor, J L et al. (2011) BDNF polymorphism predicts the rate of decline in skilled task performance and hippocampal volume in healthy individuals. Transl Psychiatry 1:e51
Taylor, Joy L; Kennedy, Quinn; Adamson, Maheen M et al. (2011) Influences of APOE ?4 and expertise on performance of older pilots. Psychol Aging 26:480-7
Adamson, Maheen M; Landy, Kelly M; Duong, Susan et al. (2010) Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 influences on episodic recall and brain structures in aging pilots. Neurobiol Aging 31:1059-63
Adamson, Maheen M; Samarina, Viktoriya; Xiangyan, Xu et al. (2010) The impact of brain size on pilot performance varies with aviation training and years of education. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 16:412-23
Taylor, Joy L; O'Hara, Ruth; Mumenthaler, Martin S et al. (2005) Cognitive ability, expertise, and age differences in following air-traffic control instructions. Psychol Aging 20:117-33