The Reversibility Network is a National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded network of researchers whose mission is to advance research around remediating the effects of early life adversities (ELA) in mid- and later life (NIA Grant #R24AG065174). This growing network of interdisciplinary ELA experts seeks to foster research that will fundamentally develop and prepare the field for greater scientific discoveries, with a particular focus on the interaction between ELA and interventions for population and patient benefits. It is through this research that we aim to raise awareness about the importance of ELA, ELA measurement, ELA mechanisms, and effective interventions.
Specific Aims for this network are in three themes:
ELA Measures: Develop an ELA measurement toolkit available to all researchers and clinicians in the field. The toolkit will include the best theoretically-embedded, prospectively- and retrospectively-assessed ELA measures, that will evolve as new discoveries on ELA measurement are made.
ELA Mechanisms: Catalyze research on key mechanisms through which ELA influences health and aging outcomes (e.g. biological, behavioral and self-report mechanisms) in midlife. Target mechanisms will be evaluated as to whether they are both malleable to interventions and influence aging outcomes, utilizing the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) mechanisms-focused approach.
ELA Interventions: Foster research on: (a) Midlife effects of early life interventions (e.g. preconception through adolescence) for those exposed to ELA; (b) Midlife interventions for those who recall ELA and/or were objectively exposed to ELA.