Penn State
Lifelong Development Program
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Welcome to the Penn State Lifelong Development Program
The Penn State Lifelong Development Program’s mission is to develop new avenues for early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
As a country we’re living longer, which means we need to identify ways to maintain healthy brains. In 1970, just 10% of the U.S. population was over the age of 65. By 2060, nearly one in four people living in the U.S. will be 65 or older. Resisting the effects of brain aging and age-associated brain disease for even a few extra years can substantially improve quality of life for individuals and families, reduce public and personal health care and caregiving expenses, and increase the promise of independent living.
The Lifelong Development Program involves researchers throughout Penn State that specialize in digital approaches to assessing and monitoring cognitive health. The aim is to better understand how behaviors and experiences encountered over the course of everyday life influence cognitive and brain health as individuals grow up and grow older.
For Study Participants
The goal of this program is to engage citizen scientists in the process of developing new tools that can sensitively and accurately detect risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The team is continuously developing new tools and measures and relies on community volunteers to help validate these measures for use in large-scale research studies, including clinical trials that aim to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The core research activity involves completing a set of online surveys and a brief computerized cognitive assessment. This activity is completed entirely remotely and through a web browser on the computer. The study team may follow up for annual or semi-annual updates.
Interested? Let’s see if you’re eligible
For questions for the study team, please contact lifelongdev@psu.edu.
Check back for more information on projects.
For Researchers
The team is composed of researchers in the Department of Neurology at Penn State College of Medicine and the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State’s University Park campus.
Investigators
Research Project Managers
Jessie Alwerdt, PhD
Ashley Tate, PhD
Researchers
Timothy Brearly, PhD
Daniel Elbich, PhD
Tian Qiu
Nelson Roque, PhD
Study Coordinators
Becca Clancy
Jennifer Coyl
Bethany Kanski
Gitana Villa