Summary: The Dallas Lifespan Brain Study (DLBS) is a major effort designed to understand the antecedents of preservation and decline of cognitive function at different stages of the adult lifespan, with a particular interest in the early stages of a healthy brain’s march towards Alzheimer Disease. The DLBS aims to (1) understand how brain atrophy as well as accumulation of amyloid and tau affects healthy aging and cognition, (2) understand how the brain develops “neural scaffolds” to support cognition, and also (3) develop a corpus of research on the cognitive neuroscience of middle age. We have enrolled 350 healthy adults, aged 20-89 in the study who are thoroughly characterized in terms of cognition, brain structure and brain function across the adult lifespan. At Wave 1, DLBS participants received a structural MRI with DTI, three task-based functional MRI scans, and a resting state scan on a Philips 3T scanner and extensive cognitive testing combined with a detailed psychosocial battery. Amyloid imaging, using F-18 Florbetapir was conducted on a Siemens ECAT HR PET scanner on 60% of the sample during Wave 1. The DLBS is one of the most complete studies of the aging mind that is available, particularly in the United States, and can address many important hypotheses regarding the cognitive neuroscience of aging.

Wave 1 of the DLBS data collection has been completed and the following data are now available on the International Neuroimaging Data-sharing Initiative (INDI):

  • Cognitive data (N = 315)
  • Anatomical MRI scans (N = 315)
  • Amyloid PET scans (N =147)
  • APOE gene information (N = 264, will add APOE for remaining subjects shortly)

    • In addition, the demographic information about the participants is available:

  • Age, gender, race, ethnicity categories
  • Education
  • MMSE scores

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    Authors:

    Principal Investigator:
  • Park, D.C., Ph.D.

    • Senior Personnel (Alphabetical order):
  • Bischof, G.N., Ph.D.
  • Devous, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Diaz-Arrastia, R., M.D., Ph.D.
  • Festini, S.B., Ph.D.
  • Kennedy, K., Ph.D.
  • Lu, H., Ph.D.
  • McDonough, I.M., Ph.D.
  • Polk, T., Ph.D.
  • Reuter-Lorenz, P.A., Ph.D.
  • Rieck, J.R., Ph.D.
  • Rodrigue, K., Ph.D.
  • Rundle, M., Ph.D.
  • Song, Z., Ph.D.
  • Wig, G., Ph.D.
  • Zhang, J., Ph.D.

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    Funding

    Present Support
  • Park, D.C. (Principal Investigator). Active Interventions for the Aging Mind NIH National Institute on Aging R01 AG026589. 2007 – 2014. 5-year Competitive Renewal currently under review.
  • Park, D.C. (Principal Investigator). Neuroimaging of Dedifferentiation and Memory Across the Lifespan. NIH MERIT Award R37 AG006265. 2007 – 2016.
  • Park, D.C. (Principal Investigator). Neuroimaging of Dedifferentiation and Memory Across the Lifespan Competitive Supplement. NIH National Institute on Aging. 2013 – 2016.
  • Park, D.C., Zhang, R. (Principal Investigator), and Rodrigue, K. Arterial Aging, Brain Perfusion & Exercise: Impact on Brain Structure and Function. NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute R01 HL102457, subaward from UT Southwestern Medical Center. 2010 – 2014.
  • Park, D.C. (Principal Investigator). Distribution of Amyloid Deposition as Measured by Florbetapir in a Large Lifespan Sample. AVID Radiopharmaceuticals. 2011 – 2014.
  • ark, D.C. and Lu, H. (Principal Investigator). Vascular Physiology in Brain White Matter. NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R21 NS078656, subaward from UT Southwestern Medical Center. 2012 – 2014.
  • Park, D.C. and Lu, H. (Principal Investigator). Cognition and Cerebrovascular Function Across the Lifespan. NIH National Institute on Aging R01 AG042753, subaward from UT Southwestern Medical Center. 2013 – 2016.

    • Past Support
  • Park, D.C. (principal investigator), Devous,M., Rodrigue, K., Kennedy, K. Amyloid Deposition, Aging and Neurocognitive Function 7/1/09-6/30/2010. Alzheimer’s Association IIRG.
  • Park, D.C. (principal investigator). Administrative Supplement: Active Interventions for the Aging Mind. National Institute on Aging. 10/1/09-9/30/2011.
  • Park, D.C. (principal investigator), Devous,M., Rodrigue, K., Kennedy, K. Competitive Supplement to Neuroimaging of Dedifferentiation and Memory across the Lifespan. (Park) PI. 10/1/09-9/30/2011 National Institute on Aging.
  • Park, D.C. (principal investigator) and Zhang, R., Rodrigue, K. and Kennedy, K. Impact of Exercise and Engagement on Cognition in Older Adults. National Institute on Aging Challenge Grant. 10/1/09-9/30/2011.
  • Park, D.C. (principal investigator) Center for Healthy Minds (Supplement to 7P30AG023101) (Park) PI National Institute on Aging. September 2009—August 2010.

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    Publications:

    Park, D.C. & Festini, S.B. (In press). The middle-aged brain: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. To appear in Cabeza, R., Nyberg, L., and Park, D.C. The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging: Linking Cognitive and Cerebral Aging. New York: Oxford University Press.

    2015

    Bischof, G.N. & Park, D.C. (2015). Obesity and aging: Consequences for cognition, brain structure and brain function. Psychosomatic Medicine. 77(6):697-709. PMID: 26107577

    Kennedy, K.M., Rodrigue, K.M., Bischof, G.M., Hebrank, A.C., Reuter-Lorenz, P.A. & Park, D.C. (2015). Age trajectories of functional activation under conditions of low and high processing demands: An adult lifespan fMRI study of the aging brain. Neuroimage. 104:21-34. PMCID: PMC4252495.

    Park, D.C., & Farrell, M. (2015). Amyloid deposition and progression toward Alzheimer’s disease. In Schaie, W.K. and Willis, S. (Eds.) Handbook of the Psychology of Aging: Eighth Edition. New York: Elsevier

    Rieck, J.R., Rodrigue, K.M., Kennedy, K.M., Devous, M.D. Sr., and Park, D.C. (2015). The effect of beta-amyloid on face processing in young and old adults: A multivariate analysis of the BOLD signal. Human Brain Mapping. 36(7):2514-26. PMCID: PMC4617762.

    2014

    Chan, M.Y., Park, D.C., Savalia, N.K., Petersen, S.E., Wig, G.S. (2014). Decreased segregation of brain systems across the healthy lifespan. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 111(46):E4997-E5006. PMCID: PMC4246293.

    Peng, S.-L., Dumas, J.A., Park, D.C., Liu, P., Filbey, F.M., McAdams, C.J., Pinkham, A.E., Adinoff, B., Zhang, R., & Lu, H. (2014). Age-related increase of resting metabolic rate in the human brain. Neuroimage. 98:176-83. PMCID: PMC4099257.

    Reuter-Lorenz, P.A., Park, D.C. (2014). How does it STAC Up? Revisiting the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition. Neuropsychology Review. 24(3):355-70. PMCID: PMC4150993.

    Thomas, B.P., Liu, P., Park, D.C., van Osch, M.J., Lu, H. (2014). Cerebrovascular reactivity in the brain white matter: magnitude, temporal characteristics, and age effects. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow Metabolism. 34(2):242-247. PMCID: PMC3915204.

    2013

    Liu, P., Hebrank, A.C., Rodrigue, K.M., Kennedy, K.M., Park, D.C., & Lu, H. (2013). A comparison of physiologic modulators of FMRI signals. Human Brain Mapping. 34(9):2078-88. PMCID: PMC3432155.

    Liu, P., Hebrank, A.C., Rodrigue, K.M., Kennedy, K.M., Section, J., & Park, D.C., Lu, H. (2013). Age-related differences in memory-encoding fMRI responses after accounting for decline in vascular reactivity. NeuroImage. 78: 415-425. PMCID: PMC23624491.

    Park, H., Kennedy, K. M., Rodrigue, K. M., Hebrank, A., & Park, D. C. (2013). An fMRI study of episodic encoding across the lifespan: changes in subsequent memory effects are evident by middle-age. Neuropsychologia, 51(3), 448-456. PMCID: 23219676

    Rodrigue, K.M., Rieck, J.R., Kennedy, K.M., Devous, M.D., Diaz-Arrastia, R., & Park, D.C. (2013). Risk factors for beta-amyloid deposition in healthy aging: Vascular and genetic effects. JAMA: Archives of Neurology. 70(5):600-606. PMCID: PMC23553344.

    2012

    Kennedy, K.M., Rodrigue, K.M., Devous, M.D., Hebrank, A.C., Bischof, G.N., & Park, D.C. (2012). Effects of beta-amyloid accumulation on neural function during encoding across the adult lifespan. Neuroimage. 62(1):1-8. PMCID: PMC3381050.

    Park, J., Carp, J., Kennedy, K.M., Rodrigue, K.M., Bischof, G.N., Huang, C.M., Rieck, J.R., Polk, T.A., & Park, D.C. (2012). Neural broadening or neural attenuation? Investigating age-related dedifferentiation in the face network in a large lifespan sample. The Journal of Neuroscience. 32:2154-2158. PMCID: PMC3361757.

    Rodrigue, K.M., Kennedy, K.M., Devous, M.D., Rieck, J.R., Hebrank, A.C, Diaz-Arrastia, R., Mathews, D., & Park D.C. (2012). Beta-amyloid burden in healthy aging: Regional distribution and cognitive consequences. Neurology. 78:387-395. PMCID: PMC3280058.

    2011

    Carp, J., Park, J., Hebrank, A., Park, D.C., & Polk, T.A. (2011). Age-related neural dedifferentiation in the motor system. PloS one. 6:e29411. PMCID: PMC3245287.

    Park, D.C. & Bischof, G.N. (2011). Neuroplasticity, aging, and cognitive function. In K.W. Schaie & S.L. Willis (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    2010

    Lu, H., Xu, F., Rodrigue, K., Kennedy, K., Cheng, Y., Flicker, B., Hebrank, A.C., Uh, J., & Park, D.C. (2010). Alterations in cerebral metabolic rate and blood supply across the adult lifespan. Cerebral Cortex. 21(6):1426-34. PMCID: PMC3097991. Reuter-Lorenz, P.A., & Park, D.C. (2010). Human neuroscience and the aging mind: A new look at old problems. The Journals of Gerontology. 65B(4):405-415. PMCID: PMC2883872.

     

    Acknowledgements

    We would like to thank the following individuals and research bodies for their continuing support of the study:

  • Our scientific and support staff, who conduct the day-to-day operations and provide the long-term support necessary to keep the study running: Paula Abercrombie, Bela Bhatia, Gerard Bischof, Ph.D., Micaela Chan, Xi Chen, Arielle Click, Mark Diaz-Arrastia, Aaron Dostson, Linda Dubose, Patrick Evans, Victor Faner, Michelle Farrell, Blair Flicker, Jacqueline Gauer, Cassandra Hatt, Andy Hebrank, Marci Horn, Richard Innis, Caroline Janeway, Debby Kirchhevel, Mitchell Meltzer, April Norambuena, Heekyeong Park, Ph.D., Allison Parker, Jenny Rieck, Ph.D., Melissa Rundle, Ph.D., Prasanna Tamil, Nicole Tehrani, Erin Wooden
  • The Center for Vital Longevity, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, for sponsoring and providing the support and facilities needed to conduct the study
  • The National Institutes of Health and Aging, for their continuing financial and scientific support
  • AVID Radiopharmaceuticals, for providing the ligand used in the PET Imaging procedure
  • The Aging Mind Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association, for providing additional funding for this research
  • Finally, the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study could not have been accomplished without the help of our research participants. We appreciate their continued interest and participation in the study!

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    Data Release Table
    Cognitive Data
    Includes task information, scoring information and participant data for each of the following cognitive tasks:
  • Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB)
    • Stockings of Cambridge (SOC)
    • Stop Signal Task (SST)
    • Spatial Working Memory (SWM)
    • Verbal Recognition Memory (VRM)
  • Digit Comparison (DC)
  • Digit Symbol (DSYM)
  • ETS Advanced Vocabulary (ETSV)
  • ETS Letter Sets (ETSLS)
  • Hopkins Immediate and Delayed Recognition (HOPKINS)
  • Letter Number Sequencing (LNS)
  • Raven’s Progressive Matrices A-D (RAVENS)
  • Subject Information
    • Demographics
    • Handedness
    • Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)
    Also includes blank sample forms of the following:
  • Initial Screening Questionnaire
  • Basic Information Survey
  • MMSE
  • Handedness Questionnaire
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    Neuro-Imaging Data
    Includes for each participant:
  • Structural MRI scan
  • Amyloid PET scans
    		•
    Genetic Data
    Includes for each participant:
  • APOE genotype and Carrier Status
    • Scan Parameters: Anatomical - PET

    USAGE AGREEMENT
    Creative Commons License: Attribution - Non-Commercial