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We combine rich biological, social and psychological data from across the life course, with molecular, genetic and imaging measures to help us achieve our vision. Our aim is to inform the development of interventions to enhance resilience, maintain function and increase in health span.
We are using our cohorts to contribute to the knowledge about the virus effects on the immune system, as well as the impact it is having on the lives of the population.
- - Life course trajectories of multi-morbidity
- - The use of electronic health record data and biomarkers to identify patients at high risk of delirium
- - Mendelian randomisation approaches to understand determinants of older age health and disease
- - Ethnic differences in cardiometabolic health and impact of treatment
- Brain Health
Lead: Carole Sudre
Mental ageing refers to change or stability in later life cognition (i.e. knowing, learning and reasoning) and emotion (i.e. anxiety, depression and positive wellbeing). These processes are fundamental to our health, everyday life, and survival; which is why impairments in these functions are the biggest cause of disability in the UK.
Our aim is to investigate the influences on these functions across the life course, and the consequences of this for daily living and other aspects of health. To achieve this we will study three areas. First, we will investigate cognitive and emotional resilience, i.e. good (or good enough) function in spite of adversity. Second, we will investigate cognitive and emotional function in relation to cardiovascular (i.e. heart and blood vessel) function; this is important because most of the modifiable risks we know about for dementia are cardiovascular in nature, particularly in midlife. Third, we will investigate the life course epidemiology of emotional function. Of particular interest here is whether depression becomes more or less common in later life, and if so, what factors across the life course determine that change in risk.
- Cardiometabolic Health
Lead: Gaby Captur
Disorders of the cardiovascular system and metabolism are the major cause of death and disability worldwide, and play a key role in ageing.
Since the 1970’s deaths from the commonest form of heart disease, coronary heart disease, have fallen dramatically but in recent years this decline has stalled and cardiovascular disease remains the second most common cause of death in the UK. In the future increasing life expectancy and the global epidemics of obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes threaten to reverse favourable trends in cardiovascular disease.
Cardiometabolic Research at LHA covers the three major studies at LHA. The MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), the world's longest-running birth cohort, the Southall and Brent Revisited (SABRE) study, a large tri-ethnic cohort originally recruited in 1988 in West London, and LINKAGE-Camden a study into Delirium and its effects on cognition and memory.
We aim to understand how factors acting over the life course, including poor health in childhood, air pollution, diet, physical activity and obesity affect cardiometabolic health and healthy ageing.
- Society and Health
Lead: Praveetha Patalay