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Self-regulation of Health Promotion: the Roles of Momentary Variability in Working Memory Capacity and Neurocognitive Aging

Award Number: R00AG056670
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2024

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Self-regulation of Health Promotion: the Roles of Momentary Variability in Working Memory Capacity and Neurocognitive Aging - Project Summary The ability to instantiate and maintain goal representations in short-term (“working”) memory (WM) is central to human capacities for flexible thought and goal-directed behavior. Critically, human aging is associated with a decline in the ability to control what gains access to and is maintained in WM (“executive” hypothesis of aging). While the executive hypothesis has been well-studied in recent years in context of neurocognitive aging, it remains poorly understood whether these changes are consequential to goal-directed behavior in daily life. As a novel approach to this issue, in the present set of studies we will examine the contribution of brain imaging, lab-based, and momentary (i.e. daily/within-day) assessments of WM to self-regulation of health promotion behavior (specifically, physical activity). Recent evidence shows that individual differences in executive control are a primary determinant of an individual’s ability to successfully translate physical activity goals into daily behavior (i.e. self-regulatory capacity). However, this has been understudied in middle-aged and older adults in whom the efficiency of WM and affiliated brain networks are subject to alteration. An important next step is to examine WM and self-regulation at the level of behavior in naturalistic settings. The NIH/NIA K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award is being sought to provide the PI training in ambulatory measurement methodology (ecological momentary assessments, EMA) and the resources to conduct a novel longitudinal study of younger, middle-aged, and older adults focused on the role of momentary WM abilities in self-regulation of physical activity. The use of smart phone-based EMA will provide a glimpse into the daily lives of study participants, providing a novel opportunity to examine how neurocognitive resources and lab- based assessments of control over WM project out to intra-individual trajectories of cognition and behavior. The current proposal will: 1) Examine the contribution of WM to self-regulation of health promotion behavior and health/well- being outcomes in middle-aged and older adults. Individuals who self-report high self-regulation achieve generally superior health and well-being outcomes. However, the role control over WM processing plays in moderating these achievements has been understudied. 2) Develop novel ambulatory measures of WM capacity. Lab-based executive control tasks are less suitable for ambulatory deployment. EMA of WM capacity will place objective assessment of controlled cognition in close proximity of real-time self-regulation of behavior. 3) Examine how individual differences in the neurocognitive resources that underlie WM processing project out into intra-individual trajectories of health promotion behavior. We expect that age-related declines/maintenance of the neurocognitive resources that support WM processing will play a key role in determining an individual’s capacity to self-regulate physical activity.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$29,311 )
2025	2021	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY	500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	000	5	10/11/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$29,311
														Subtotal = -$29,311

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2021	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY	500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	000	5	5/11/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $243,976 )
2021	2021	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY AVE RM C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	000	5	6/10/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$243,976
														Subtotal = $243,976

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $243,799 )
2020	2020	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY DR C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	002	4	6/2/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$243,184
2020	2019	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY DR C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	001	3	5/6/2020	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$615
2020	2019	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY DR C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	000	3	11/15/2019	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
														Subtotal = $243,799

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $233,368 )
2019	2019	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	500 UNIVERSITY DR C1607	HERSHEY	PA	17033	DAUPHIN	USA	Aging Research	000	3	8/31/2019	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$233,368
														Subtotal = $233,368

Grand Total All Awards = $691,832

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Self-regulation of Health Promotion: the Roles of Momentary Variability in Working Memory Capacity and Neurocognitive Aging

Award Number: R00AG056670

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2024

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