The Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) was designed by the HRS in consultation with several of its international partner studies to provide a flexible yet comparable instrument for measuring cognitive function among older adults around the world. Since 2016, the HCAP has been implemented in fifteen studies around the world, and several studies in other countries are pilot testing the HCAP. The HCAP thus provides unique research opportunities to exploit cross-country variations in key life-course factors that likely affect risk for Alzheimers disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD), such as educational attainment, wealth, retirement policies, diet, and the prevalence and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. However, cross-country variations also raise unique challenges for maintaining the harmonization of tests and measures necessary for good comparative research. This application seeks to renew and build upon the established HCAP International Research Network (U24 AG065182) that has facilitated harmonization of methods and data across the international network of HCAP studies and supported the expansion of HCAP studies to new countries. Our first project period was extremely successful, as we contributed to the statistical harmonization of HCAP measures across culturally, educationally, and linguistically diverse country settings, held in-person and virtual meetings across HCAP study teams to facilitate collaborations and coordinate research approaches, and funded pilot projects that provided insight to harmonization challenges, and expanded the global reach of the HCAP data. Planned harmonization activities for the proposed renewal of the network span the full life-course of such studies from sample design, to content and administration of the protocol, to statistical harmonization of data collected, to diagnostic algorithms, to covariates for epidemiological research, including biomarkers and genetics. While achieving harmonization in established studies requires active participation of senior leadership, a main goal of the network is to continue developing younger scholars through facilitating participation in network meetings, funding pilot studies, and supporting scholar exchanges among the studies. We will build upon our previous successes and directly address harmonization challenges by disseminating and incorporating the lessons learned in the prior project period. In addition to the exchange of information through meetings and the network website, we will coordinate dissemination and educational outreach with related networks focused on AD/ADRD and other networks harmonizing the HRS family of studies, including the HRS Around the World Network, the Gateway to Global Aging Data, and the Population Studies of Aging Biomarker Network.
Funding:
Health and Human Services, Department of-National Institutes of Health
Funding Period:
09/30/2024 to 06/30/2029