Adult Cognitive and Neurobiological Indicators of Aging: Impact of Adversity and Social Support

Project Summary/Abstract
Using a unique longitudinal data set and linear growth modeling analytic techniques, the
proposed research will examine relations between early and life course trajectories of adversity
and adult biobehavioral markers of aging. Animal and human studies suggest that early
exposure to adversity may negatively impact developing biological systems altering long term
structural and functional trajectories, and accelerating aging processes. The proposed research
will examine this neurotoxicity hypothesis in relation to brain neurobiology (structure, function,
connectivity) and related cognitive and epigenetic markers sensitive to adversity and aging. The
research will also examine the role of protective social relationships (especially positive early
caregiving) in moderating the adversity-related effects.
Based in the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (Sroufe et al., 2005) and
drawing on methodology from the Human Connectome Project in Aging (HCP-A; Bookheimer et
al., 2019), the study addresses significant gaps in both neurobiological and behavioral
investigations of the origins of adult aging processes and the effects of adversity on
development. Unlike concurrent and retrospective studies of risk and protective influences on
aging, the proposed study employs a prospective multilevel design with a sample of individuals
assessed from birth to middle adulthood. The proposed assessments of neurobiological and
cognitive functioning will contribute to an understanding of the impact of exposure to adversity
on adult brain health (structure, function, connectivity) and age-related cognition. Specifically,
we will examine the timing and chronicity (onset and trajectory) of adversity in relation to adult
outcomes. Genetic data will permit analyses of associations between adversity, epigenetic
variation (i.e., telomere length, DNA methylation age), and concurrent neural and cognitive
functioning. The proposed work will address critical research, policy, and practice questions
regarding the effects of adverse experience on the human brain, the cognitive and
biological correlates of neurobiological change, and the potential moderating influence of
early caregiving experience on these relations, generating testable research hypotheses
and contributing to the development of targeted prevention and intervention efforts.

Grant Number: 5R01AG070138-04
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: ELIZABETH CARLSON