Research Areas

The research area of clinical and epidemiological research in cognition aims to study risk factors of reduced cognitive ability particularly vascular mechanisms. Another aim entails taking care of already reduced cognitive ability. Several clinical and longitudinal studies have involved mechanisms of interrupted autoregulation of cerebral blood flow, correlation between hypertension, hypotension and blood pressure regulation with imaging methods and neuropsychometric tests. Care taking of reduced cognitive ability, particularly at stroke and dementia, is studied in family caregivers and the effects of emotional support for family caregivers of family members diagnosed with dementia, is observed in a controlled intervention study.

The research area function, participation and rehabilitation aims to study interactions between the three areas, and the correlation in motor and cognitive function. Another aim involves the mechanics of reduced muscle function and falls. Several projects highlights risk factors related to quality of life/life satisfaction and participation within groups with disability (deafness, lung capacity) and with chronic illness (stroke, fracture, multimorbidity). Effects of rehabilitation in these conditions have been studied as well as consumption of health care. Process studies interests in consequences of reduced function on activity and participation (social, cultural, free time/spare time) respectively. Value of ability to drive a car and transportation as a limiting factor in participation, as well as the correlation between the two is being monitored in a population study.

Analyses are being conducted from a number of available longitudinal cohort studies such as

• WHO study Men born 1914 (n=703); 
• Good Aging in Skåne (GÅS, n=2 931 [baseline]) as part of the National Study of Aging and Care - SNAC, n=8421 [baseline]); 
• Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS, n=28 098); 
• Malmö Intervention study for Dementia ill (MIND, n=300); 
• Lund 80+ (n=333); and also 
• EpiHealth (n=25 104)

Good Aging in Skåne

Our largest on-going study since 2001, GÅS-SNAC, comprises about 5 500 men and women 60 to 100 yrs, randomly invited from five municipalities in Skåne. Participants <78 / >78 yrs are re-investigated every sixth / third year at the research centre or at home visits (participation rate 79-86%) with the same protocol. Every 6th year new participants are recruited. Investigation covers a medical examination, questionnaire on lifestyle, symptoms, medication, QoL, personality, mood, ADL, sociodemographics, occupation, caregiver burden, formal and informal care. A physical examination of functioning, 11 cognitive tests, ECG, spirometry, AAI, OH, anthropometrics, body composition and biobanking are included. A subset have MRI brain, doppler cerebri media during tilting, doppler carotids, aorta pulse wave velocity, peripress. Retrieval of registry data include inhospital care, outpatient care, mortality registry and more.

The study is part of the larger national study SNAC, Swedish National study on Aging and Care, also situated in Blekinge, Kungsholmen in Stockholm and Nordanstig in Hälsingland. The study covers big cities, smaller cities and rural areas.

To use data from the GÅS population study and information on application form, please contact data manager Ole Larsen. Ole [dot] Larsen [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Ole[dot]Larsen[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se) . An application form for data from the GÅS population study database with description of purpose, aims and requested data of the application and general conditions for the applicants are sent to the PI of the GÅS study – Solve [dot] Elmstahl [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Solve[dot]Elmstahl[at]med[dot]lu[dot]se)

NEAR Infrastructure

Part of the NEAR infrastructure and the Cohorts.se infrastructure. NEAR stands for the National E-infrastructure for Aging Research, integrating 15 major longitudinal, population-based projects on aging, whose datasets are currently located at 6 Swedish universities. The scientific aim is to empower aging research in Sweden and contribute to the identification of sustainable intervention strategies for better health and care of older people.