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The purpose of CATSLife is to study how early and current influences accumulate over one’s life to impact how well individuals build and maintain cognitive functioning. Surprisingly, relatively little is known about the developmental genetic and environmental etiologies that interact to shape the transition to midlife in terms of cognitive performance, physical and behavioral health.
- Although cognitive change likely begins prior to middle adulthood, early-middle adulthood transitions have been largely neglected. Indeed, facets of early-middle adulthood transitions that predict healthy aging are vital to understand.
- We will trace factors associated with decreases, maintenance, or boosts in cognitive abilities. With in-depth behavioral and health measurements, analysis of environmental settings, biomarker and genotype data we will be able to assess the association of cognitive change with possible physical and behavioral health precursors and to trace the emergence of these associations.
- We are currently conducting follow-up testing of 776 adoptive and nonadoptive probands and siblings and 824 twins, now in early 30's and 40’s, previously assessed on a wide array of measures almost yearly from birth into their 20’s.