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Thinking, Moving and Feeling: Common Underlying Mechanisms?
September 5-7, 2007
Bethesda Marriott Suites
Bethesda, Maryland

This is the 4th annual Bedside to Bench conference, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, the American Geriatrics Society, and the John A. Hartford Foundation.

This state-of-the-art conference offers investigators an opportunity to learn about cutting edge research developments, participate in the creation of recommendations for future research and to network with colleagues and leaders in the field.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE AGENDA
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
PRESS RELEASE

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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Geriatricians have long observed the frequent coexistence of problems with cognition, mobility and mood. Is this coexistence simply co-occurrences of common disorders, a web of bi- and tri-directional relationships, or are there unrecognized and overlapping underlying causal mechanisms? The purpose of this "bedside to bench" conference is to examine evidence about the co-occurrence of these conditions, explore potential causal mechanisms, address methodological challenges, and identify implications for future basic and clinical research, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of aging Americans. Since inquiry into these phenomena has been accumulating within disciplines that have not traditionally interacted, the conference seeks to bring together experts in the fields of cognition, mobility and affect from both basic and clinical perspectives to share insights, promote opportunities related to aging and develop a common framework for future research. This initiative is consistent with the NIH Roadmap, which emphasizes the need to pursue questions using teams that cross both traditional disciplinary lines and the clinical-basic interface. This conference is also intended to foster possible new opportunities for collaborative work within and across Institutes and programs from NIA, NIMH, NINDS, NIDRR, the private sector, foundations and others.

SPECIFIC AIMS

1. Present evidence for co-occurrence of disorders of cognition, movement and mood in the older adult.
2. Explore potential common causal pathways from multiple basic and clinical perspectives.
3. Propose methods to help discriminate common pathways from random co-occurrence and bi- or tri-directional secondary effects.
4. Discuss implications for clinical practice.
5. Identify knowledge gaps and future directions for multidisciplinary research.

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