The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is an ongoing longitudinal study of how biology and behavior change as people get older. A longitudinal study is a type of research study in which the same group of people is studied and tested at intervals over a long period of time.

The BLSA began in 1958 as a small project involving a few men, but it now includes more than 1,100 men and women who undergo testing. Every two years, participants return to the National Institute of Aging's Gerontology Research Center in Baltimore, Maryland, to undergo two-and-a-half days of tests to assess attention, problem solving, memory, personality, and other behaviors. The BLSA is the longest running study of human aging. Its many findings have influenced medical practice, changed our view on aging, and influenced the directions of aging research.

Further Reading:

Visit the BLSA site at http://www.grc.nia.nih.gov/branches/blsa/blsa.htm. National Institute of Aging at http://www.nih.gov/nia.

Article : "ESTROGEN AND ALZHEIMER'S"