Proteomic clocks of cognition: mapping plasma proteomic signatures that underlie cognitive aging in non-human primates
Description: As the average age of the global population continues to rise, so have public health concerns about aging-related diseases. In particular, rapidly accelerated rates of cognitive impairment places undue burden on patients, caregivers, and medical systems, alike. Identifying the biological factors that contribute to cognitive changes with age is essential for developing strategies to promote healthy aging. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) have gained popularity as a non-human primate model for neuroscience research due to their ability to perform complex cognitive tasks, and brains whose structure, function, and age-related changes mirror that of humans. Their short lifespans facilitate longitudinal studies that are critical for understanding aging as a process rather than a discrete event. Here we propose to take advantage of a large cohort of marmosets that collectively cover their entire lifespan. These marmosets have undergone dense phenotyping, with longitudinal collection of cognitive testing data and blood samples. The goal of this proposal is to measure and quantify cognitive aging trajectories in marmosets and associate age-related cognitive changes with molecular changes measured in their blood plasma. Specifically, we aim to (1) analyze longitudinally-collected cognitive data to characterize cognitive aging trajectories and identify early signs of cognitive decline in marmosets, and (2) associate these with blood sample based plasma proteomics measured by the SomaScan assay. In addition to conventional linear modeling, we aim to capture non-linear patterns by leveraging recently proposed non-linear and interpretable ('glassbox') neural network based machine learning models.
Funder: American Heart Association
Amount: $69,960
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: BHCI Collaborative Grants
Start date: 2023-10-01
End date: 2025-09-30
Investigators: Courtney Glavis-Bloom, Courtney Glavis-Bloom, Patricia Moran Losada
Institution: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 23BHCICG1187314
OpenAlex ID: G2143136194