Cognitive Neuroscience

Naftali Raz, Ph.D. –  Director, Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience Research Program

The IOG's Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience Research Program explores aging through a variety of psychological pathways.

Current research projects include:

African American Hypertensives: Cognition and Self-Care

Diabetes in Older Latinos, Stress and Brain Changes

Effects of a Mind-Body Training Program on Cognition in Healthy Older Adults

Epidemiology of Functional Status in Elderly Hispanics

HeadMinders: A Computer Internet-Based Cognitive Assessment System

Hemodynamic Predictors of Brain and Cognitive Aging

Neural Correlates and Modifiers of Age-Related Differences in Memory

Testosterone and Spatial Memory: A Virtual Reality Approach

Vascular Depression and Function in Older Latinos

Project descriptions:

African American Hypertensives: Cognition and Self-Care
Faculty, NIA Predoctoral Trainee Program & Mentor, NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research (NRSA): Washington, O.G.M.
2003-2006, $68,634

This project reflects the work of a doctoral student who was mentored by the writer and received assistance and direction in developing and directing her research. It aims to explore components of self-care agency (i.e., memory, orientation, and cognitive skills in elder hypertensive African Americans to test the relationships between the basic conditioning factors of age, health state, family systems, medical treatment), and self-care agency. It endeavors to increase what is known about hypertension self-care, cognitive function, and hypertension self-care in elderly African Americans. The relationships between baseline cognitive function and diet, physical activity, and medication, hypertension, and self-care action are followed up at three-months .

Diabetes in Older Latinos, Stress and Brain Changes
PI: Haan, M.N.
Co-PI: González, H.M.
NIA/Department of Health and Human Services
1999-2006, $1.42 million

The objectives of this study are to examine the role of diabetes and stress on the cognitive and functional status of community-dwelling older Mexican Americans.

Effects of a Mind-Body Training Program on Cognition in Healthy Older Adults
PI: Rebok, G.
Co-PI: Cresci, M.K.
Erickson Foundation, $37,500

The overall goal of this study is to positively influence older adults’ cognitive functioning through a multi-modal intervention program that integrates low to moderate intensity physical activity and memory strategies into their current lifestyles. Staying active both mentally and physically improves memory performance and may stave off future cognitive decline. Despite compelling evidence about the benefits of exercise for healthy functioning and the maintenance of independence in later life, approximately two thirds of adults from ages 50 to 80+ report having no regular exercise routine. Separately, cognitive training programs improve cognitive function; however, little attention has been given to the combined effect of cognitive and physical training for enhancing mental performance. The Mind-Body Training Program promotes the integration of lifestyle activity with cognitive skills and strategies into daily life.

Epidemiology of Functional Status in Elderly Hispanics
PI: Haan, M.N.
Co-PI: González, H.M.
NIA/Department of Health and Human Services
2003-2008, $8.3 million

The aim of this study is to examine risks for prevalent and incident dementia in community-dwelling older Mexican Americans.


HeadMinders: A Computer Internet-Based Cognitive Assessment System
PI (WSU): Lichtenberg, P.A.
NIH/National Institute on Aging (SBIR), $239,000
(Phase II—Fluid Reasoning Phase—under review)

Despite being one of the top ten causes of death, Alzheimer’s disease continues to be poorly assessed, detected, and treated within the primary care setting. Unfortunately, this setting is where the majority of older adults experiencing symptoms of an age-related dementia are likely to first seek help. Thus, with incredible growth in the U.S. population of older adults, especially those over age 75, improving the ability of the primary care physicians to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementias is of high priority. Time constraints within the primary care setting and lack of technical expertise regarding cognitive testing are consistently identified as major barriers for improving care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Because of these barriers, Practice Guidelines and Best Practice Standards have failed to substantially improve detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in the primary care setting. The HeadMinder Cognitive Screening Test (CST) was created to eliminate constraints of time and technical expertise while allowing for fundamental cognitive screening.

The findings from our Phase I study of the HeadMinder CST were extremely successful and indicate the need for a Randomized Trial (RT). Phase I studies of the HeadMinder CST have provided sound and consistent evidence of the instrument’s validity and accuracy as a cognitive assessment tool, as well as its practicality, and have allowed for necessary technical improvements. Audio-enabled instructions, automated interpretive reporting, and a reduction in testing time to 12 minutes have made the CST ready for an effectiveness RT trial.

Hemodynamic Predictors of Brain and Cognitive Aging
PI: Raz, N.
NIH/National Institute on Aging
2004-2006, $144,172

This research explores the feasibility of using Transcranial Doppler Sonography (TCD) for assessment of the influence exerted by hemodynamic factors on differential age-related changes in brain and cognition. We are specifically interested in exploring the links between age-related slowing of cerebral arterial blood velocity (CBF-V) in anterior and middle cerebral arteries, as a marker for cerebral hypoperfusion, and regional increase in white matter hyperintensities (WMH) burden as well as shrinkage of the cortex and the underlying white matter. In cognitive domain we will focus in the executive functions which are differentially sensitive to aging and prefrontal pathology. Our hypotheses are based on the body of clinical and preclinical studies that suggested CBF-V slowing as risk factor for developing WMH, our own studies that support the plausibility of modifying influence of cerebrovascular risk factors on age-related brain shrinkage and on the studies that suggest differential vulnerability of executive functions to mild hypertension. While a preliminary report [5] indicates that reduced CBF-V may be associated with structural brain pathology (global WMH burden), neither regional specificity, nor cognitive relationship nor longitudinal course of that index have been established. We have conducted research on a cohort of healthy adults (age 18-85) and obtained cognitive and MRI-based structural brain measures on more than 100 individuals. In this project, we propose to use these data as baseline measures in a two-year longitudinal study and to relate hemodynamic variables to the rate of neuroanatomical and cognitive change. Thus, this research represents a pilot study that examines the feasibility of applying a technique widely used in the clinic to research healthy aging, and it will benefit from statistical analysis of existing data.


Neural Correlates and Modifiers of Cognitive Aging
PI: Raz, N.
NIH/NIA (a MERIT award)
2005-2010, $3 million

In this study, we continue and expand the research program that has been conducted in our laboratory for the past 12 years. Our goals are:
1. To describe the course of differential brain aging with a focus on the best-case-scenario naturalistic study of successful aging as defined by Rowe and Kahn. Our objective is to examine the closest approximation to successful physiological aging to be found in an uncontrolled human population.
2. To gain insights into mechanisms of age-related differential brain shrinkage by examining changes in microstructure of the white matter and indirect indices of basal metabolism in the gray matter. We will introduce new imaging method – multi-echo Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) that will allow measurement of T2* and local field variations with better precision and resolution that by conventional gradient-recall methods.
3. To evaluate the links between age-related regional brain changes (volume, diffusion and magnetization properties, and basal metabolism) and performance in three cognitive domains with known vulnerability to aging: episodic memory, executive functions, and speed of processing.
4. To examine the effect of modifiers of brain and cognitive aging - the vascular risk and genetic factors (arterial blood pressure, homocysteine, C-reactive protein, vitamins of the B-group and glucose) on differential brain and cognitive aging. Because some of the women who participate in the study will be on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), we will assess the potential benefits of HRT on brain aging. The modifying role of ApoE genotype in shaping the trajectories of brain and cognitive aging will be also assessed.
5. Finally, common to all listed aims is a longitudinal approach to study of biological and cognitive change. To attain that overriding goal, we plan to apply longitudinal latent-variable growth modeling techniques to the analysis of our data. We expect to clarify the distinction between precedence and coincidence in the relations among variables described by covariation.


Testosterone and Spatial Memory: A Virtual Reality Approach
PI: Moffat, S.D.
Co-PIs: Diamond, M. & Posse, S.
NIH/National Institute on Aging

In men, testosterone (T) levels decline by approximately 50% from ages 30 to 80 and a majority of men over age 70 can be classified as hypogonadal. This progressive loss of T with age in men, often called the “andropause,” may have significant cognitive consequences. Among men with suspected andropause, memory loss was the third most commonly reported symptom. Both epidemiologic and intervention studies highlight the importance of T in maintaining cognitive function. Despite the high morbidity associated with T loss, there have been few studies specifically investigating the neurocognitive effects of T in elderly men. The long-term goal of this program of research is to investigate the effects of steroid hormones on cognitive and brain aging. To that end, the specific objective is to investigate the effects of T on spatial memory and functional brain activation in hypogonadal men. Sixteen men will participate in a randomized, placebo-controlled, T intervention study. The principal outcome measures will be behavioral performance on virtual reality tests of spatial navigation and standardized tests of cognitive function. In addition, to assess the neural basis of T action, brain activation will be assessed by functional MRI during a virtual reality spatial memory task. Our central hypothesis is that T replacement will prove beneficial for neurocognitive function in elderly men. Specifically, we hypothesize that T supplementation will increase activation in the hippocampal and parahippocampal system supporting human spatial memory. This proposal is unique in its approach in that it adopts a virtual reality navigation task to assess cognitive and brain function in hypogonadal men. This task serves as an excellent neurocognitive probe to evaluate the hypotheses as it elicits brain activation and age-related changes in those specific neural systems that are demonstrably sensitive to T action. The proposed research is significant in that it will provide us with a detailed account not only of the cognitive systems modulated by T, but also provide us with a putative neural explanation of those same effects. Ultimately, this work will prove essential in the development of intervention strategies to prevent or ameliorate cognitive decline among at-risk elderly individuals.

Vascular Depression and Function in Older Latinos

PI: González, H.M.
National Institutes of Health
2003-2008, $834,520

The objectives of this study are to examine how depression and vascular disease are associated with cognitive and functional changes in community-dwelling older Mexican Americans.

Research Archives