Opportunities for Neuroeconomists at the National Institute on Aging
and through NIH-wide initiatives
Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR), NIAhttp://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ExtramuralPrograms/BehavioralAndSocialResearch/
National Institute on Aging
Research Priorities at BSR/NIA
• Neuroeconomics and Decision Research *• Social Neuroscience of Aging * • Behavioral Economics• Mechanisms of Behavior Change *• Integrating genetics into behavioral models • Economic Phenotypes *• Economics of Aging (Health and Retirement) • Training Interdisciplinary Scientists – need good K and F32
applicants bridging econ/psych/neuroscience *review
National Institute on Aging
Understanding NIA
• Aging-relevant research is NOT just the study of older people
• Lifecourse perspective – aging as a process that unfolds; early life factors impacting trajectories of health and (subjective/economic) well-being in mid-late life
• Aging-relevant phenomena – self-regulation, motivation, delay discounting, susceptibility to fraud, social influences on decision making – through a lifecourse lens
• Changing demographic of population impacts structure of institutions, policies, and choices of individuals
National Institute on Aging
Resources at NIA
• Recent RFAs (inactive) reflect our ongoing interest in: – Neuroeconomics of Aging
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AG-06-011.html
– Social Neuroscience of Aging http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AG-09-006.html
• Priority areas for research training http://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ExtramuralPrograms/BehavioralAndSocialResearch/PriorityAreas.htm
• Workshop Reports highlight needs for future research in these and related areas, including genetic approaches: http://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ExtramuralPrograms/BehavioralAndSocialResearch/CMW.htm
National Institute on Aging
Emerging Opportunities at NIA
National Institute on Aging
http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/
• Genotyping 20,000 individuals with longitudinal survey data on health and economic behaviors
• Lab-based methods (imaging) most likely to find heritable phenotypes closely linked to biology
• But only very large samples will allow genetic model estimation and replication
• Critical need for lab-survey interface around economic phenotypes
Emerging Opportunities at NIA
National Institute on Aging
• Network to advance Decision Neuroscience of Aging• Over five years this network grant will support scientific
meetings, intensive training workshops for researchers at all stages, and a pilot grant competition for researchers new to the field.
• Core Network Personnel: Laura Carstensen (Stanford), Samuel McClure (Stanford), Gregory Samanez Larkin (Vanderbildt), Camelia Kuhnen (Northwestern), David Laibson (Harvard)
“In this economy, it’s crucial to begin everysentence with ‘in this economy.’”
NIH-wide initiatives
Science of Behavior Changehttp://nihroadmap.nih.gov/behaviorchange/index.asp
OppNethttp://oppnet.nih.gov
Health Economicshttp://nihroadmap.nih.gov/healtheconomics/
National Institute on Aging
Science of Behavior ChangeNIH Roadmap Program
• Trans-NIH initiative to focus on approaches to improving initiation and maintenance of positive health behaviors
• Leveraging advances in emerging basic behavioral and social science domains
• NIH Directors approved Roadmap funding for developmental activities including planning meetings.
• DPCPSI, FIC, NCCAM, NCI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, NINR, OBSSR
National Institute on Aging
Poor Health Behaviors Kill
Schroeder et al. (2007, NEJM)
Behavior Change is Powerful
A 7% weight reduction and 2.5 hour per week activity increase led to a 58% reduction in the cumulative incidence of Type 2 diabetes in insulin-resistant individuals (Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, 2002).
Balkanization of Behavior Change
Neuroscience
BehavioralScience
Economics
Policy
Smoking Cessation
Genetics
Medication Adherence
Increase Exercise
ModerateDrinking
FinancialPlanning
17 different ICs support research in (very specific areas of) behavior change.
Emergence of Transdisciplinary Science
Neuroscience
BehavioralScience
Economics
Policy
Behavior Change
Genetics
Relevant science is rapidly emerging but is not optimally focused on Behavior Change.
Behavior
Genetics
BehavioralEconomics
NeuroeconomicsCognitiv
e/Affectiv
e
Neurosci
ence
SOBC Roadmap RFA-RM-10-002 Focused on Mechanisms of Change
Mechanisms of decision-making
e.g., risk perception, temporal discounting
Mechanisms of control and self-monitoring:
e.g., executive function, interoceptive awareness, emotion regulation;
Mechanisms of social and cultural transmission of behaviors and of interpersonal transaction:
e.g., contagion, mimicry, modeling, norms, peer effects, competition;
Structural mechanisms:
e.g., choice architectures, defaults, environmental affordances;
Neurobiological and genetic mechanisms:
e.g., related to these processes, including those associated with individual differences in biophysiologic capacity or psychological resilience/vulnerability.
National Institute on Aging
OppNet: Mission and GoalsOppNet: Mission and Goals
• To strengthen basic Behavioral and Social Science Research (b-BSSR) across NIH institutes, innovating beyond existing investments
• Build a body of knowledge about the nature of behavior and social systems, focused on basic mechanisms of behavior and social processes
• Three domains:• Behavioral and Social Processes (e.g., learning, social cognition, group
processes, migration patterns)
• Biobehavioral and Biosocial Research (e.g., social, cognitive, affective and economic neurosciences)
• Methodology and measurement (e.g., data collection, modeling, research design)
OppNet FY2011 FOAsRFA-AG-11-010 BASIC RESEARCH ON SELF-REGULATION (R21)2 yr; $275K total direct costs. Due Date: January 6, 2011 * Related to SOBC
1) to precisely identify and operationally reconcile the basic processes and mechanisms involved in self-regulation of cognition, emotion, and behavior, and refine their measurement and theoretical conceptualizations, 2) to assess relations among various self-regulatory functions and their sub-components, and 3) to systematically characterize changes in self-regulatory functions over time, across different social and environmental contexts, and across the lifespan
CAPACITY BUILDINGRFA-CA-10-017 Due Date: December 14, 2010Scientific meetings for creating interdisciplinary research teams in emerging b-BSSR (R13)2 year; $50K/year direct
RFA-NR-11-002 Due Date: January 6, 2011 Short-term Interdisciplinary Research Education Program for New Investigators (R25) 1 year; $150K direct costs.
Research Community Input Shapes OppNet’s Directions:
OppNet Meeting: Expanding Opportunities inBasic Behavioral and Social Science
Research
Thursday and Friday, October 28-29, 2010Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20001
Free registrationVisit OppNet’s website for more information: http://oppnet.nih.gov