Support provided by: National Institutes of Health Research Agenda for Cognitive Activity: “Does Mental and Physical Activity Promote Cognitive Vitality in Late Life?” Third in the Annual U13 Conference Series, "From Bedside to Bench"
March 1-3, 2006
Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Conference Description
Cognitive vitality in old age is impaired by both “normal cognitive aging” and by diseases causing dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease. With normal aging, cognitive changes such as slowed speed of processing are common, but there is significant inter-individual variability, and cognitive decline is clearly not inevitable. Mental and physical activity, including lifelong learning, mental and physical exercise, and continuing social engagement, are “activity” risk factors for cognitive aging and dementia. These issues are of great current interest to the research community and the impact of mental and physical activity on cognitive vitality in late life is a rapidly emerging field.

The goals of this working conference will be to highlight and synthesize current knowledge and thinking about mental and physical activity in the context of caring for an aging population, and to stimulate research that will ultimately lead both to better understanding and to improvement in clinical practice. Specifically, conference objectives are (1) to more fully define the public health (population-based) and clinical problem of cognitive aging as indicated by the evidence; (2) to lend better (but not necessarily consensus) conceptual definition to the problems of cognitive impairment and its relationship to mental and physical activity; (3) to identify a variety of mental and physical activity research areas and questions (propose an agenda); and (4) to consider various methodological challenges and approaches in pursuing the agenda.

Conference Organizers
Howard Fillit, MD, Executive Director, The Institute for the Study of Aging;
Michelle C. Carlson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health;
William T. Greenough, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois;
Arthur Kramer, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois;
George Rebok, PhD, Professor, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University;
Robert Wilson, PhD, Professor, Departments of Neurological Sciences and Psychology, Rush University; and
Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

W E D N E S D A Y, M A R C H 1 , 2 0 0 6
The conference will begin with an evening dinner.
Welcoming remarks: Howard Fillit, MD
A brief perspective on the conference topic.

T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 2 , 2 0 0 6
What is normal cognitive health with aging and how do we recognize and measure it?
Plenary Speaker: Tim Salthouse, PhD

Experience, Exercise and Cognitive Activity--preclinical studies
Chair: William Greenough, PhD

Exercise and the Aging Brain
Speaker: Carl W. Cotman, PhD

Physical Exercise
Chair: Art Kramer, PhD

The Beneficence of Physical Activity on Cognitive Vitality: Do Perceptions and Feelings Matter?
Speakers: W. Jack Rejeski, PhD and Jeffrey A. Katula, PhD

Influence of exercise training on human cognition and brain function
Speaker: David Madden, PhD

Molecular Mechanisms for the Effects of Lifestyle on Cognitive Abilities
Speaker: Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD

Occupational and Social Activity: Psychological Stress and Cognition
Chair: Robert Wilson, PhD

Education and Cognition
Speaker: David Bennett

Neural Reserve and Cognition
Speaker: Yaakov Stern, PhD

Data from Epidemiologic Studies on Mental and Physical Activity
Chair: Michelle Carlson, PhD

Methodologic issues and challenges studying cognitive aging in observational studies
Speaker: Lenore Launer, PhD

Nurses' Health Study
Speaker: Fran Grodstein, ScD

F R I D A Y, M A R C H 3 , 2 0 0 6
Mental Exercise: Ongoing Intervention Trials
Chair: George Rebok, PhD

Types of Mental Exercise in the ACTIVE Intervention Trial: Training on Basic Cognitive Abilities
Speaker: Sherry Willis, PhD

Training, practice, and activity effects on late life cognition
Speaker: Michael Marsiske, PhD

Issues of ethnicity in Cognitive Intervention Research
Speaker: Graham McDougall, PhD, RN, FAAN

Cognitive and Emotional Health Project: The Healthy Brain
Speaker: Molly Wagster, PhD

An Intergenerational Intervention for Cognitive and Behavioral Enhancement: The Experience Corps Program
Speaker: George Rebok, PhD

Population based models for promoting activity and cognitive health in the community for older people
Chair: Howard Fillit, MD

Computer based cognitive assessment in clinical care:
Measurement of the cognitive profile for detection of decline and outcomes measure for treatment
Speaker: Ely Simon, MD

Community-based models for cognitive training
Speaker: Cynthia Green, PhD

Toward a Research Agenda
Groups will breakout with the goal of generating and refining key questions and issues for a research agenda. The groups will be comprised of a mix of conference speakers and participants.