Research Training in Age-Related Cognitive Disorders

This is an application for the third renewal of an institutional training grant in Age-Related Cognitive Disorders, first funded by NIA in 2007. The imperative to find better treatments for age-related cognitive disorders requires individuals who are trained in state-of-the-art approaches to these disorders, with a focus on integration and communication across disciplines. To accomplish this, a multidisciplinary program has been developed with four special emphasis areas: (1) Clinical Studies of Aging and Age-Related Cognitive Disorders; (2) Population Studies of Aging and Age-Related Cognitive Disorders; (3) Imaging Studies of Aging and Age-Related Cognitive Disorders; and (4) Animal Models of Aging and Neurodegeneration. We are requesting funds to maintain the current level of support for the next funding cycle at 3 pre-doctoral and 3 post-doctoral positions. There are 26 participating faculty, drawn from the Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Pathology, Neuroscience, Epidemiology, Psychology & Brain Sciences, and Mental Health at Johns Hopkins University. These departments span the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, and the School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. There is also a faculty member from Morgan State University, an Historically Black College/University in Baltimore. Each trainee will continue to have a primary and secondary mentor. A core didactic program has been developed for both the pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees. This framework has allowed us to recruit high-quality trainees, who are diverse, have been highly productive, yielding graduates who are in excellent positions at respected institutions. We believe this program addresses a critical need for training in the area of age-related cognitive disorders, which will ultimately benefit the growing number of older persons who suffer from these conditions.