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Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
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THE SECRETS OF LONG LIFE
A multidisciplinary group of researchers from the LSU Life Course and Aging Center, LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) has been taking a multi-faceted look at what exactly healthy aging means. Under the name, "The Louisiana Health Aging Study," the endeavor consists of five projects, each focusing on a different area of research, including genetics; white blood cell function; energy, metabolism, and stress; physical functions; and cognitive functions. "These five areas of research are closely linked," says Katie Cherry, director of the LSU Life Course and Aging Center and the principal investigator of the cognitive function project of the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study. "We are working under the hypothesis that genetics and white blood cell function affect energy and metabolism, which, in turn, affect physical and cognitive function." The five-year study, which began in 2003 under the direction of Dr. Michal Jazwinski at LSUHSC-NO, involves testing more than 700 subjects with 260 of them over the age of 90. A $4.1 million Health Excellence Fund grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents is funding the study. Several tests are being conducted on participants at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, including blood and physical function tests, and cognitive measurements. Project One: Genetics Mark Batzer, the George C. Kent Professor of Life Sciences in the LSU Department of Biological Sciences, is directing research in the LHAS to determine the genetic basis of healthy aging. He is identifying genes and allelic variants of genes that could be linked to aging and longevity in the Louisiana population. Project Two: The Immune System Don Scott at LSUHSC-NO is leading research efforts focused on white blood cells, which comprise the human immune system and change their function with advancing age. As people age, they become more susceptible to disease, which can be caused by foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. When foreign invaders enter the body, T cells, one type of white blood cell, are activated, grow, and multiply. This process naturally declines with advancing age, so Scott and his research group are focusing on the mechanisms that control T cell response and production with the hope that they can eventually find ways to improve immune response in older adults. Project Three: Energy, Metabolism, and Stress Led by Eric Ravussin, a human physiologist at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, project three of the LHAS is focusing on calorie restriction and its effect on oxidative stress, the amount of stress experienced by the body when it comes into contact with free radicals–chemicals in the body that rapidly react with other chemicals to create some of the effects of aging we experience. Ravussin and his research team are performing patient tests of oxidative stress and resting metabolic rate, the amount of oxygen and energy produced while at rest. Project Four: Physical Function LSU Department of Kinesiology Associate Professor Robert Wood is directing the physical function project of LHAS. He and his team are observing participants as they perform activities of daily living, such as sweeping a floor or reaching for an object on high shelves. As their study progresses and more elders are incorporated into the program, Wood will be able to identify genetic factors of optimal physical function late in life. LSU Professor of Psychology Katie Cherry is leading the efforts in human cognition and the vital role it plays in healthy aging, independent living, and quality of life. Broadly defined, cognition includes a variety of mental processes, such as decision making, problem solving, language, attention, and memory. Working directly with older adults using activities such as pictorial illustration exercises, Cherry and her team are investigating the impact of memory ability changes on the life of an older person. from Summer/Fall 2005 |
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The population of people over 85 years old is increasing six times faster than the general population and the population of people over 100 years old is increasing ten times faster than the general population, according to the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study. With such a remarkable change in the graying of the human population, more and more research is being conducted to find ways for seniors to live not only longer, healthier lives, but lives less dependent on long-term care in hospitals and nursing homes.