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Research

IMPROVING HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH INNOVATIVE RESEARCH

The Institute on Aging has more than 80 faculty affiliates from 45 academic departments studying diverse aspects of the aging process. Some investigators focus on disease prevention and treatment, or the role of health care policy in promoting access to quality care for aging adults. Research Equipment

Others are working to understand the aging process through long-term studies of later life changes such as retirement, relocation, caregiving, and widowhood. Additionally, many scientists are studying aging at cellular and molecular levels. The following are examples of current research at the Institute.

MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.)
This ongoing longitudinal project is following behavioral, psychological, social, and biological aging of more than 7000 U.S. residents between age 25 and 85. This major study is funded by a $28 million grant from the National Institute on Aging and involves researchers from 16 universities throughout the U.S. Originated in 1995, MIDUS was one of the first large-scale studies to link psychosocial and behavioral factors to health, including a comprehensive array of biological and neurological assessments. The MIDUS data are publicly available and are used by scientists from around the world to understand pathways to healthy or unhealthy aging.
Osteoporosis Clinical Research Program (offsite link)
Osteoporosis was once thought to be an inevitable result of getting old. However, it is now recognized to be a treatable disease that can often be prevented. It affects about 20-25 million Americans and is more common in women. Approximately 50% of Caucasian women and 25% of Caucasian men will have an osteoporotic fracture sometime during their life. Treatment related to these fractures costs approximately $14 billion annually in the United States; a cost projected to exceed $60 billion by the year 2030. Studies are being conducted to evaluate ways to improve diagnosis and treatment and to assess the role that nutrition may play in the development, treatment, and prevention of osteoporosis. This program is led by Neil Binkley, M.D., Director of the Osteoporosis Clinic
Aging and Cancer Developing Program
The Aging and Cancer Developing Program is led by Dr. Richard Weindruch and is funded by the National Cancer Institute through the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center. The mission of this program is to enhance the translation of aging and geriatric research to clinical cancer care and cancer biology and to identify opportunities to improve cancer care and test interventions relevant to older patients. This grant has supported conferences, workshops, and pilot studies to promote new research directions that advance understanding of the causes, consequences, and effective treatment of later life cancer. The areas of study are patterns of care (Maureen Smith), effects of comorbidity (Sanjay Asthana, ), psychosocial issues (Susan Heidrich, and Carol Ryff), palliative care (James Cleary), and biology of aging and cancer (Richard Weindruch).
Social Inequalities, Psychosocial Factors, and Health
Dr. Nadine Marks is the Principal Investigator on a National Institute on Aging grant that is investigating linkages between social inequalities, psychosocial factors and adult physical health across the life course. Dr. Marks is using population data to examine the role of socioeconomic status (e.g., education, occupational status, earnings, and wealth) and race or ethnicity in determining differences in psychological and social relationship factors.
Mind-Body Center
Preceding MIDUS was a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study how life challenges and the psychological processes surrounding them, notably emotion, influence health outcomes. Work of the Mind-Body investigators has explored how positive and negative emotion is linked with neural circuitry in the brain, the immune system and how the body responds to stress. How these factors work together to account for unfolding profiles of mental and physical health is a key focus.
Caloric Restriction
Reducing calorie intake extends the lifespan of laboratory animals and keeps them biologically younger longer. IOA scientists are exploring the mechanism of this and hope to apply these findings to human aging and age-related diseases.

Caring Across Generations
Many older people rely on their children or spouses to provide their daily care. IOA social scientists are studying relationships between generations, gauging the flow of information between parents, children and grandchildren, hoping to understand the impact of family care, characteristics of and stresses associated with being a family caregiver.
Emotional Communications in Couples Facing a Cancer Death
Linda J. Roberts is the Principal Investigator on a project funded by the Fetzer Institute to study how coping with terminal cancer affects couples’ relationships. The research project is recruiting 60 advanced cancer patients and their partners to engage in two videotaped conversations and an indepth interview. Couples will then be recontacted and followed over time. Dr. Roberts and her Co-Investigator, Karin Kirchhoff are examining the couples coping and communication processes to better understand couple functioning in the face of an impending death.