Exceptional memory performance in the Long Life Family Study.

Research to understand variability at the highest end of the cognitive performance distribution has been scarce. Our aim was to define a cognitive endophenotype based on exceptional episodic memory (EM) performance and to investigate familial aggregation of EM in families from the Long Life Family Study (LLFS). Using a sample of 1911 nondemented offspring of long-lived probands, we created a quantitative phenotype, EM (memory z ≥ 1.

Apolipoprotein E and familial longevity.

Exceptional longevity is associated with substantial heritability. The ε4 allele in apolipoprotein E and the linked G allele in rs2075650 of TOMM40 have been associated with increased mortality and the ε2 allele with decreased mortality, although inconsistently. Offspring from long-lived families and spouse controls were recruited at 3 sites in the United States and Denmark.

Workshop on personal motion technologies for healthy independent living: executive summary.

The objective of the June 2010 "Workshop on Personal Motions Technologies for Healthy Independent Living" was to discuss personal motion technologies that might enable older adults and individuals with disability to live independently for longer periods. The 60 participants included clinicians, academic researchers, engineers, patient advocates, caregivers, members of the public, and federal representatives. The workshop was divided into 6 sessions that addressed the following: (1) use of technologies in identifying early indicators of disease or adverse events; (2) monitoring daily activities; (3) coping with impairment; (4) managing mild cognitive impairment; (5) rehabilitation and exercise in the home; and (6) caregiver support.

Do gender, disability, and morbidity affect aging rate in the LLFS? Application of indices of cumulative deficits.

We used an approach of cumulative deficits to evaluate the rate of aging in 4954 participants of the Long-Life Family Study (LLFS) recruited in the U.S. (Boston, New York, and Pittsburgh) and Denmark.

"Predicting" parental longevity from offspring endophenotypes: data from the Long Life Family Study (LLFS).

While there is evidence that longevity runs in families, the study of long-lived families is complicated by the fact that longevity-related information is available only for the oldest old, many of whom may be deceased and unavailable for testing, and information on other living family members, primarily descendents, is censored. This situation requires a creative approach for analyzing determinants of longevity in families. There are likely biomarkers that predict an individual's longevity, suggesting the possibility that those biomarkers which are heritable may constitute valuable endophenotypes for exceptional survival.

A family longevity selection score: ranking sibships by their longevity, size, and availability for study.

Family studies of exceptional longevity can potentially identify genetic and other factors contributing to long life and healthy aging. Although such studies seek families that are exceptionally long lived, they also need living members who can provide DNA and phenotype information. On the basis of these considerations, the authors developed a metric to rank families for selection into a family study of longevity.

Exceptional survival in human populations: National Institute on Aging perspectives and programs.

Identifying the factors that contribute to long and healthy life can lead to improved interventions that can help delay or prevent the onset of major aging-related diseases and disabilities and increase the time that older persons spend in good health. Studies on longevity and other exceptional survival outcomes can contribute to this knowledge. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) supports a considerable amount of basic, behavioral, demographic, epidemiologic, and clinical research on these topics, including a large research program on longevity assurance genes, primarily in laboratory animals, and in biodemographic aspects of longevity in humans and other species.