The Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) is a longitudinal behavioral genetic study with a primary focus on cognitive and brain aging in men, particularly early identification of risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It comprises a subset of over 1600 twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Twins live all over the USA. Assessments began when participants were in their 50s. Follow-ups were conducted every 5–6 years, and wave 3 has been completed as of this writing. The age range of participants is narrow (about 10 years). An extensive neurocognitive test battery has added precision in assessing differences in middle-aged adults, and predicting progression to MCI. Young adult cognitive test data (at an average age of 20 years) provide a means of disentangling aging effects from longstanding differences. Genome wide genotyping and plasma assays of AD biomarkers from waves 1 and 3 were conducted in wave 3. These features make the VETSA ideal for studying the heterogeneity of within-individual trajectories from midlife to old age, and for early detection of risk factors for cognitive decline.

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越南时代双胞胎老龄化研究 (VETSA) 的现状

越南时代双胞胎老龄化研究 (VETSA) 是一项纵向行为遗传学研究，主要关注男性的认知和大脑衰老，特别是早期识别轻度认知障碍 (MCI) 和阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 的风险。它包括来自越南时代双胞胎登记处的 1600 多对双胞胎的子集。双胞胎生活在美国各地。评估在参与者 50 多岁时开始。每 5-6 年进行一次随访，截至撰写本文时，第 3 波已经完成。参与者的年龄范围很窄（大约 10 岁）。广泛的神经认知测试组合提高了评估中年人差异和预测 MCI 进展的精确度。年轻成人认知测试数据（平均年龄为 20 岁）提供了一种将老化效应与长期差异分开的方法。