Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging
The Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging (ZULU) is an ongoing longitudinal study on the structure and development of cognition in old age. The aims were twofold. First, based on different structural models, the goal was to find an adequate representation of the six cognitive abilities sampled in ZULU. Second, a variety of increasingly general age-cognition models were estimated in order to capture the degree of shared age-related influences on cognitive performance in the elderly.
Overview
- Acronym
- ZULU
- Investigators
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- Contacts
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General Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Start - End Year
- 2005 -
- General Information on Follow Up (profile, frequency)
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The first assessment was completed in 2005, with plans to continue as an ongoing longitudinal study.
- Recruitment Target
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- Individuals
- Number of Participants
- 364
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
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Marker Papers
Zimprich D, Martin M, Kligel M et al. Cognitive Abilities in Old Age: Results from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. Swiss Journal of Psychology 67 (3), 2008; 177 - 195
Timeline
Population
The study panel consists of 364 residents of the Zurich area, enrolled in 2005, born between 1925 and 1940 (aged 65 - 80 years). An approximately equal number of participants in three age brackets: 65 to 70.4, 70.5 to 75.7, and 75.8 to 80 years of age, and an approximately equal proportion of men and women within each age bracket.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
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65
- Maximum age
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80
- Countries
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- Switzerland
- Territory
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Zurich area.
- Health Status
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- Participants with MMSE scores lower than 24, severe physical or hearing impairments, or blindness were excluded.
- Other Criteria
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Non-native German speakers were excluded.
Sources of Recruitment
- General Population
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- Volunteer enrolment
- Selected sample
- Supplementary Information
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Participants were first recruited from a list of 1941 addresses of people born between 1925 and 1940 from the registry of the city of Zurich. As a second channel, addresses of senior citizens attending the University of Zurich lecture series for senior citizens were utilized. Some participants were recruited by advertisements in newspapers, flyers, and by word of mouth of other participants.
Sample Size
- Number of Participants
- 364
- Supplementary information about number of participants
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Wave 1: 364 participants
Wave 2: 336 participants
Wave 3: 236 participants
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Data sources | Data sources - Biosamples | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ZULU - Wave 1 |
|
2005 (February) | 2005 (May) | |
| 1 | ZULU - Wave 2 |
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2006 (August) | 2006 (November) | |
| 2 | ZULU - Wave 3 |
|
2010 (May) | 2010 (October) |
Participating Studies
| Acronym | Name | Study design | Countries |
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Harmonization Initiatives Included
| Acronym | Name |
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Datasets
| Name | Data Collection Events | Variables |
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Areas of Information Collected
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Death
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Physical measures and assessments
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Laboratory measures
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Diseases
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Symptoms and signs
- Preschool, school and work life
- Medication and supplements
- Social environment and relationships
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Physical environment
- Health and community care services utilization
- Administrative information
Variables Content Summary
Areas of Information Collected
Areas of Information Collected per per Population and Data Collection Event
Networks
| Acronym | Name | Harmonization Initiatives | Individual Studies |
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