Many individuals as they age lose some of their environments. A major cause of this difficulty are with changes in primary sensory functions including vision, hearing, taste and smell, all of which are investigated in the BLSA. BLSA research resulted in the most comprehensive longitudinal studies demonstrating the individual changes in vision and hearing using standard techniques. It also resulted in landmark studies of age differences in judgments of taste thresholds and quality, and starting in FY1989 it will initiate the first studies of age changes in taste. Starting in FY1989, the LSB began measuring the relationships between levels of sensory and perceptual functioning and self reports of functioning related to vision and hearing. To better understand underlying and coincidental components of the observed changes, the LSB is developing plans to investigate the physiological, anatomical and pathological changes that lead to age related declines in sensation and perception, thereby facilitating development of methods for treatment. The report contains summaries of five projects in vision, two in hearing, and one in taste.
