The VLS is a long-term, large-scale, and multi-faceted longitudinal investigation of human aging. Incorporating epidemiological perspectives, biomedical approaches, and leading-edge computational technologies, the VLS evaluates and tracks actual cognitive, brain, and health trajectories leading to outcomes that can be classified as normal, resilient, exceptional, impaired, or dementia. Our studies examine these differential brain and cognitive changes as a function of interactions among multiple “biomarkers” of both risk and protection. Among these interacting biomarkers are those representing selected aspects of biological, functional, health, genetic, metabolic, vascular, lifestyle, physical fitness, cognitive activity, and demographic domains. Because the VLS is a long-term longitudinal study, our research typically involves the investigation of distributions of individualized trajectories of change over time. For precision analyses and interpretations, we often evaluate predictors of trajectory pathways toward or away from healthy brain aging by incorporating both risk and protection factors and targeting all patterns of change profiles. For example, we often deploy key influences on Alzheimer’s disease, such as age, sex, vascular health, lifestyle exposures and genetic risk, and consider them for both their risk and protection functions. We use both data-driven (including machine learning) and hypothesis-guided quantitative modeling technologies to evaluate these dynamic and individualized predictions.

The VLS has operated in two favourable locations in western Canada. The overall research, administrative, data collection, archives management, and lab headquarters of the VLS are in beautiful and booming Edmonton, the capital city of the Province of Alberta. Many of our dedicated longitudinal participants regularly visit our continually active VLS lab in lovely Victoria, on Vancouver Island, off the coast of the Province of British Columbia.

The VLS is led by Dr. Roger A. Dixon, who is the long-serving VLS Director and Principal Investigator. He is the recipient of two consecutive terms of the prestigious NIH MERIT Award and two Canada Research Chair awards. The VLS has also benefited from the expert contributions of a stellar panel of consultants and co-investigators. These have included Drs. Kaarin Anstey (University of New South Wales and NeuRA Australia), Lars Bäckman (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Richard Camicioli (Medicine/Neurology, UAlberta), Ian Deary (University of Edinburgh, UK), Christopher Hertzog (Georgia Tech, USA), Scott Hofer (UVictoria), Jack McArdle (University of Southern California, USA), G Peggy McFall (U Alberta), Stuart MacDonald (UVictoria), and Brent Small (University of North Carolina, USA).

Since its inception in the late 1980s, the VLS has been continuously funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The recent NIA grant is: NIH R01 AG008235 (PI: R.A. Dixon). The VLS has also benefited from supplemental funding from numerous other sources, including AHFMR, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Innovates, Canada Research Chairs, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, STINT, and other NIH grants. Infrastructure and institutional support from the Universities of Alberta (Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine) and Victoria is gratefully acknowledged.

The VLS has actively participated in provincial networks (Campus Alberta Neuroscience), national networks (Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging), and international longitudinal initiatives (IALSA).

In addition, the VLS has shared and compared data with complementary studies in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the USA.

Please click on the links above for more information about the VLS. For additional context, please visit the website of Roger Dixon, VLS Director.