Welcome to Long Life Family Study
The multicenter LLFS enrolled and studied a unique sample of 4,953 participants in 539 pedigrees in the USA and Denmark which are enriched for familial EL. Through two extensive in-home visits, approximately 8 years apart, these families possess key healthy aging phenotypes (HAPs) in major domains of the aging process (cognitive, cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammatory, etc.). Further, the measured phenotypes are highly heritable cross-sectionally and longitudinally; however considerable familial phenotypic heterogeneity is present. To better understand this heterogeneity and the why and how these families are protected we will: conduct a third in-home visit with existing participants; recruit and enroll the grandchildren of the proband generation for their initial visit; combine linkage and association analyses to identify rare and lineage specific variants for cross-sectional and longitudinal HAPs and EL and their interaction with lifestyle exposures; perform comprehensive OMICs on LLFS pedigrees to discover biologic mechanisms leading to the heterogeneous familial patterns of HAPs and EL in LLFS pedigrees, and discover additional causal variants. Finally, we will combine all the data using systems biology and data integration to more comprehensively explain the biology of healthy aging.
The purpose of the LLFS is to study families in the United States and Denmark that are ALL enriched for exceptional longevity (EL). EL is a complex trait that is likely influenced by multiple genes with small effects interacting with lifetime exposures. The knowledge gained from studying these families will be in why and how they are protected and thus living exceptionally healthy long lives.
This project is supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, grant U19AG063893.
LLFS Project Members
Thomas Perls, MD, MPH
Boston University Field Center Principal Investigator
617-353-2020
thperls@bu.edu
Stacy Andersen, PhD
Co-Investigator, Neuropsychology
617-353-2080
stacy@bu.edu
Reena Karki, RN, MPH
Research Coordinator
Joseph H. Lee, DrPH
LLFS MPI; Columbia University Field Site Co-PI; Genetics of aging, telomeres
will be add soon
jhl2@columbia.edu
Stephanie Cosentino, PhD
LLFS MPI; Coumbia University Field Site Co-PI; Cognitive Phenotyping & training
will be add soon
sc2460@columbia.edu
Rebecca Abraham, BS
LLFS Columbia University Field Site Project Coordinator
212-342-1202
rea2154@cumc.columbia.edu
Kaare Christensen, DMSc
LLFS Danish Field Site Principal Imvestigator
+45 6550 3049
kchristensen@helath.sdu.dk
Anne B Newman, MD, MPH
LLFS Co-Prinicipal Investigator, Pittsburgh Field Site
617-353-2020
anewman@pitt.edu
Joseph M Zmuda, PhD
LLFS Co-Principal Investigator, Pittsburgh Field Site
617-353-0778
zmudaj@edc.pitt.edu
Nancy W Glynn, PhD
Co-Investigator & Director of LLFS Field Operations
will be added soon
EPIDNWG@pitt.edu
Allison L Kuipers, PhD
Co-Investigator & Project Director for the Pittsburgh Site
will be added soon
kuipersa@pitt.edu
Key Publications
Health and Function of participants in the Long Life Family Study: a comparison with other cohorts
Individuals from families recruited for the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) (n= 4559) were examined and compared to individuals from other cohorts to determine whether the recruitment targeting longevity resulted in a cohort of individuals with better health read more…
GWAS for Older Maternal Age & Older Age of Menopause
Consistent with other studies, LLFS demonstrated that women who are able to naturally have children later in life tend to live longer. In this study we investigate if read more…
Prevalence, Incidence, and Risk Factors for Overall, Physical, and Cognitive Independence Among Those From Exceptionally Long-Lived Families
In the LLFS Proband Generation, we showed that despite having an average age of 90 years, a remarkably large proportion (70%) of those who were free of physical and cognitive read more…
NIA news and tools
The latest research news from the National Institute on Aging at NIH
For media inquiries and or to request an interview with a subject matter expert, please email the NIA Office of Communications and Public Liaison at NIAPressTeam@mail.nih.gov, or call 301/496-1752.
Maintaining mobility and preventing disability are key to living independently as we age
November 30, 2020
Many people worry about not being able to move around as well when they get older. They fear they won’t be able to continue their favorite activities, visit their favorite read more…
Better executive function predicts less mobility decline after a fall
August 13, 2020
Executive function is the cognitive process that helps with planning, prioritizing, multitasking, and adjusting. Past studies suggest that better cognitive function is associated with read more…
Higher Daily Step Count Linked with Lower All-Cause Mortality
March 24, 2020
In a new study, higher daily step counts were associated with lower mortality risk from all causes. The research team, which included investigators from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), read more…
Publications
Mechanisms underlying familial aggregation of exceptional health and survival: A three-generation cohort study
Study demonstrating reduction of disease prevalence persists into thrid generation of relatives. read more…
Patterns of multi-domain cognitive aging in participants of LLFS
Maintaining good cognitive function at older age is important, but our knowledge of patterns and predictors of cognitive aging is still limited. We used read more…
Gene Discovery for High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level Change Over Time In Prospective Family Studies
Several genes are known to contribute to the levels and metabolism of HDL-C, however, their protective effects in cardiovascular disease (CVD), healthy aging, and longevity are complex and poorly understood read more…
Genome-wide linkage analysis of carotid artery traits in exceptionally long-lived families
Atherosclerosis develops with age and is partially controlled by genetics. We aimed to use family-based genome-wide linkage analysis to identify chromosomal regions read more…
