Cooperation Project 5
Coordinator: Prof. Carla Schwanke
Population Aging is a reality. The United Nations (UN)’s 2015 World Population Prospects estimates an increase in the number of individuals aged 60+ between 2015 and 2030 from 901 million to 1.4 billion. Most elderly will be living in developing regions that are affected by their inherent socioeconomic problems.
Among the illnesses afflicting the elderly, non-transmissible chronic diseases are the most frequent ones, especially dementias (such as Alzheimer’s disease), ischemic cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease and strokes) and cancers. In this sense, researchers need to make every effort to understand the mechanisms involved in the genesis and evolution of chronic non-transmissible diseases in details, as well as their administration and rehabilitation in aging and aged individuals.
Hence, this project embraces three main themes:
(1) Molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly;
(2) Neuropsychology of aging: clinical and neuropsychological evaluation and neuroimaging and intervention;
(3) Cognitive skills and quality of life in the elderly: a longitudinal study.
