Research Network for the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP): Years 6-10
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PROJECT SUMMARY 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. International HCAP studies are designed to be comparable with the HRS-HCAP. Our Network activities will benefit the health of Americans by enabling US investigators to (1) test whether risk factor associations observed in the HRS-HCAP replicate across populations with different exposure distributions, strengthening causal inference for US dementia prevention; (2) refine the HRS-HCAP dementia diagnostic algorithm by benchmarking it against methods developed in partner studies; (3) accelerate the validation and implementation of plasma-based AD biomarkers in the HRS-HCAP through coordinated multi-site assay protocols; and (4) train US-based investigators in ADRD research methods. The scientific rationale for conducting harmonized ADRD research outside the US is that the variation in life-course exposures relevant to dementia—including educational quantity and quality, occupational complexity, midlife cardiovascular risk, and air pollution exposure—is far greater across HCAP countries than within the US, providing essential variation for causal inference applicable to American older adults living with or at risk for AD/ADRD. However, cross-country variations also raise unique challenges for maintaining the harmonization of tests and measures necessary for high-quality comparative ADRD 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 countries, 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. 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.
