Dr F Matthews
MRC Biostatistics Unit
United Kingdom
Statistical epidemiology in ageing research
MRC
1,665,091
01/08/2011
5.0
Alzheimer's disease & other dementias
A programme of work that covers both the methodology and application of measures for changes associated with ageing. Modelling the ageing process to correctly investigate individual differences, missing data and the correct formulation of the time process requires both good data and improved methodology. The programme covers the improvement in methodology and the application within applied scientific papers.|1. Healthy life expectancYes and multi-state modelling|A programme of research that involves improving measures of healthy life expectancYes modelled using longitudinal data, including the modelling process, measuring model fit, relaxing some of the assumptions and the investigation of missing data, and then undertaking analyses of health life in a variety of settings.|2. Cognitive modelling and modelling through the life course|A programme of research involved in the investigation of cognition through time, over age and near death. The modelling involves a detailed investigation of the patterns of change, the relationship with covariates, the impact of missing data and the relationship with mortality. In addition the programme collaborates with other MRC units on a cross collaboration project of ageing through the lifecourse. This is investigating the methods of combining longitudinal investigations to enable understanding the entire age range.|3. MRC Collaborative Group for the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study I and II (CFAS) |Overall strategic control (planning, co-ordination, and development) of statistical analysis within this large, UK, multi-centre, epidemiological, cohort study of ageing, cognitive decline and dementia. A new cohort CFAS II is currently underway, our role includes sampling, data managament and statistical oversight. Sub-studies of blood and brain tissue elucidate the role of genetic factors within ageing, and of the neuropathological processes which characterise dementia in the community. Other sub-studies investigate the costs of continuing care and the burden on carers.|4. Applied research|A varied programme of investigations of application of the above methodology including mild cognitive impairment (the state between normal cognitive ageing and dementia), the relationship between ageing in life and pathology seen at death, autism in the UK and Netherlands, the investigation of disability its causes, incidence and recovery, and various aspects of healthy life expectancYes (such as disability free life expectancYes, cognitive impairment free life expectancYes) and its causes and investigations of cognitive health. This all links to a focus on public health research and policy implications of the ageing population.||key Words: healthy life expectancYes, cognitive function, ageing and psychiatry