Senior Research Fellow

0131 651 1685

F3 (7GS)

Investigating the lifetime determinants of 'successful ageing' with the Lothian Birth Cohort Studies.

Representative Publications

1. Gow, A. J., Johnson, W., Pattie, A., Whiteman, M. C., Whalley, L., Starr, J. & Deary, I. J. (2008). Mental ability in childhood and cognitive aging. Gerontology, 54, 177-186.
2. Gow, A. J., Johnson, W., Pattie, A., Brett, C. E., Roberts, B., Starr, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (2011). Stability and change in intelligence from age 11 to ages 70, 79 and 87: the Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936. Psychology and Aging, 26, 232-240.
3. Gow, A. J., Corley, J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Reverse causation in activity-cognitive ability associations: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Psychology and Aging, 27, 250-255.
4. Gow, A. J., Johnson, W., Mishra, G., HALCyon Study Team, Richards, M., Kuh, D., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Is age kinder to the initially more able?: Yes, and no. Intelligence, 40, 49-59.

Research

I am a Senior Research Fellow with the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) study, a longitudinal research project examining the determinants of cognitive ageing. The first wave of the study recruited and tested 1091 individuals who took part in the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey. This was a national test of every 1936-born child at school in Scotland on 4th June, 1947; that is, over 70,000 children sat the same test of mental ability at age 11. The participants were asked to complete a range of cognitive and physical tests, supply detailed demographic information, and then re-sit the test of mental ability they completed when aged 11. The LBC1936 are currently being seen for a second time which includes re-testing their physical and cognitive function. More information can be found on the LBC1936 study website. In addition, the LBC1936 are undergoing detailed brain MR imaging. The LBC1936 is funded as part of Help the Aged's The Disconnected Mind.

The LBC1936 study is closely related to the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (LBC1921) study. I began my association with the LBC1921 during my PhD research, and continue to analyse the data collected from this cohort. The LBC1921 had their mental ability assessed when aged 11, as part of the 1932 Scottish Mental Survey. They were identified and recruited into a major, ongoing study looking at the determinants of cognitive change from throughout the lifespan. As part of this follow-up, they have been given a number of tests of their mental abilities (at ages 79, 83 and 87), questionnaires about various aspects of their lives, in addition to physiological and physical tests.

My research interests are investigating the determinants of successful ageing:

• what lifetime factors predict 'successful' cognitive ageing?
• what lifetime factors predict satisfaction with life in old age?

To discover predictors of these 2 outcomes (cognitive ability and change, and satisfaction with life), I am examining various aspects of lifestyle assessed both retrospectively and contemporaneously in the LBC studies. These domains cover characteristics of the participant's principal lifetime occupation, later life personality, lifetime social networks and support, and lifetime participation in leisure activities (which provide physical, social or intellectual engagement).

The aim would be to identify remediable factors affecting later life cognitive function and satisfaction with life.

Publications

If you require a full-text version of any publication, please email me.

In press

• Brett, C. E., Gow, A. J., Corley, J., Pattie, A., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (in press). Psychosocial factors and health as determinants of quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. Quality of Life Research.
• Butchart, C., Kyle, J., McNeill, G., Corley, J., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (in press). Flavonoid intake in relation to cognitive function in later life in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. British Journal of Nutrition.
• Corley, J., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (in press). Smoking, childhood IQ, and cognitive function in old age. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
• Davies, G. D., 11 others, Gow, A. J., 19 others (in press). Genome-wide association studies establish that human intelligence is highly heritable and polygenic. Molecular Psychiatry.
• Deary, I. J., Gow, A. J., Pattie, A., & Starr, J. M. (in press). Cohort Profile: The Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936. International Journal of Epidemiology.
• Deary, I. J., Johnson, W., Gow, A. J., Pattie, A., Brett, C. E., Bates, T. C., & Starr, J. M. (in press). Losing one's grip: a bivariate growth curve model of grip strength and non-verbal reasoning from age 79 to 87 years in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences.
• Hope, D., Bates, T., Penke, L., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., & Deary. I. J. (in press). Symmetry of the face in old age reflects childhood social status. Economics and Human Biology.
• Lopez, L. M., Harris, S. E., Luciano, M., Liewald, D., Davies, G., Gow, A. J., Tenesa, A., Payton, A., Ke, X., Whalley, L. J., Fox, H., Haggerty, P., Ollier, W., Pickles, A., Porteous, D. J., Horan, M. A., Pendleton, N., Starr, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (in press). Evolutionary conserved longevity genes and human cognitive abilities in elderly cohorts. European Journal of Human Genetics.
• Marioni, R. E., Deary, I. J., Murray, G. D., Lowe, G. D. O., Strachan, M. W. J., Luciano, M., Houlihan, L. M., Gow, A. J., Harris, S. E., Rumley, A., Stewart, M. C., Fowkes, F. G. R., & Price, J. F. (in press). Genetic associations between fibrinogen and cognitive performance in three Scottish Cohorts. Behavior Genetics.
• McNeill, G., Jia, X., Whalley, L. J., Fox, H. C., Corley, J., Gow, A. J., Brett, C., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (in press). Antioxidant and B vitamin intake in relation to cognitive function in later life in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
• Schiepers, O. J. G., Harris, S. E., Gow, A. J., Pattie, A., Brett, C. E., Starr, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (in press). APOE E4 status predicts age-related cognitive decline in the ninth decade: longitudinal follow-up of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Molecular Psychiatry.
• Schiepers, O., van Boxtel, M., Harris, S., Gow, A., Pattie, A., Brett, C., de Groot, R., Jolles, J., Starr, J. & Deary, I. (in press). MTHFR polymorphisms and cognitive ageing in the ninth decade: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Genes, Brain and Behavior.
• Smith, N. L., 34 others, Gow, A. J., 31 others (in press). Genetic predictors of fibrin D-dimer levels in healthy adults. Circulation.
• Tang, W., 17 others, Gow, A. J., 16 (in press). Genetic associations for activated partial thromboplastin time, their gene expression profiles, and risk of coronary artery disease. American Journal of Human Genetics.

2012

• Brown, L. A., Brockmole, J. R., Gow, A. J., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Processing speed and visuospatial executive function predict visual working memory ability in older adults. Experimental Aging Research, 38, 1-19.
• Deary, I. J., Yang, J., Davies, G., Harris, S. E., Tenesa, A., Liewald, D., Luciano, M., Lopez, L. M., Gow, A. J., Corley, J., Redmond, P., Fox, H. C., Rowe, S. J., Haggarty, P., McNeill, G., Goddard, M. E. Porteous, D. J., Whalley, L. J., Starr, J. M., & Visscher, P. M. (2012). Genetic contributions to stability and change in intelligence from childhood to old age. Nature, 482, 212-215.
• Gow, A. J., Corley, J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Reverse causation in activity-cognitive ability associations: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Psychology and Aging, 27, 250-255.
• Gow, A. J., Johnson, W., Mishra, G., HALCyon Study Team, Richards, M., Kuh, D., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Is age kinder to the initially more able?: Yes, and no. Intelligence, 40, 49-59.
• Hope, D., Bates, T., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2012). Minor physical anomalies, intelligence and cognitive decline. Experimental Aging Research, 38, 365-378.
• Penke, L., Valdes Hernandez, M. C., Muñoz Maniega, S., Gow, A. J., Murray, C., Starr, J. M., Bastin, M. E., Deary, I. J., & Wardlaw, J. M. (2012). Brain iron deposits are associated cognitive ability and cognitive aging. Neurobiology of Aging, 33, 501-517.

2011

• Birnie, K., Cooper, R., Martin, R. M., Kuh, D., Aihie Sayer, A., Alvarado, B. E., Bayer, A., Christensen, K., Cho, S., Cooper, C., Corley, J., Craig, L., Deary, I. J., Demakakos, P., Ebrahim, S., Gallacher, J., Gow, A. J., Gunnell, D., Haas, S., Hemmingsson, T., Inskip, H., Jang, S., Noronha, K., Osler, M., Palloni, A., Rasmussen, F., Santos-Eggimann, B., Spagnoli, J., Starr, J., Steptoe, A., Syddall, H., Tynelius, P., Weir, D., Whalley, .L. J., Zunzunegui, M. V., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Hardy, R. on behalf of the HALCyon study team (2011). Childhood socioeconomic position and objectively measured physical capability levels in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 6, e15564.
• Corley, J., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2011). Is body mass index in old age related to cognitive abilities? Psychology and Aging, 25, 867-875.
• Corley, J., Jia, X., Brett, C. E., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., Kyle, J. A. M., McNeill, G., & Deary I. J. (2011). Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study. Neuropsychology, 25, 166-175.
  
• Gow, A. J., Johnson, W., Pattie, A., Brett, C. E., Roberts, B., Starr, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (2011). Stability and change in intelligence from age 11 to ages 70, 79 and 87: the Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936. Psychology and Aging, 26, 232-240.
• Gow, A. J., Watson, R., Whiteman, M. & Deary, I. J. (2011). A stairway to heaven?: structure of the Religious Involvement Inventory and Spiritual Well-being Scale. Journal of Religion and Health, 50, 5-19.
• Henderson, R. D., Allerhand, M., Patton, N., Pattie, A., Gow, A. J., Dhillon, B., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2011). Vision and intelligence at age 83 in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Intelligence, 39, 148-154.
• Lopez, L. M., Mullen, W., Zurbig, P., Harris, S. E., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., Porteous, D. J., Mischak, H. & Deary, I. J. (2011). A pilot study of urinary peptides as biomarkers for intelligence in old age. Intelligence, 39, 46-53.
• Watson, R., Gow, A. J., Whiteman, M. & Deary, I. J. (2011). Comment on Gow, A. J., Watson, R., Whiteman, M. & Deary, I. J. (2011). A Stairway to Heaven? Structure of the Religious Involvement Inventory and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Journal of Religion & Health doi: 10.1007/s10943-010-9375-2. Journal of Religion and Health, 50, 899-900.

2010

• Corley, J., Xueli,X., Kyle, J. A. M., Gow, A. J., Brett, C. E., Starr, J. M., McNeill, G. & Deary, I. J. (2010). Caffeine consumption and cognitive function at age 70: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 72, 206-214.
• Hope, D., Bates, T., Penke, L., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2010). Fluctuating asymmetry and personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 49-52.
• Houlihan, L. M., Davies, G., Tenesa, A., Harris, S. E., Luciano, M., Gow, A. J., McGhee, K. A., Liewald, D. C., Porteous, D. J., Starr, J. M., Lowe, G. D., Visscher, P. M., & Deary, I. J. (2010). Common variants of large effect in F12, KNG1 and HRG are associated with activated partial thromboplastin time. American Journal of Human Genetics, 86, 626-631.
• Houlihan, L. M., Wyatt, N. D., Harris, S. E., Hayward, C., Gow, A. J., Marioni, R. E., Strachan, M. W. J., Price, J. F., Starr, J. M., Wright, A. F., & Deary, I. J. (2010). Variation in the uric acid transporter gene (SLC2A9) is associated with memory performance. Human Molecular Genetics, 19, 2321-2330.
• Johnson, W., Gow, A. J., Corley, J., Starr, J. M., & Deary, I. J. (2010). Location in cognitive and residential space at age 70 reflects a lifelong trait over parental and environmental circumstances: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Intelligence, 38, 402-411.
• Luciano, M., Houlihan, L. M., Harris, S. E., Gow, A. J., Hayward, C., Starr, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (2010). Association of existing and new candidate genes for anxiety, depression and personality traits in older people. Behavior Genetics, 40, 518-532.
• Marioni, R. E., Deary, I. J., Murray, G. D., Lowe, G. D. O., Rafnsson, S. B., Strachan, M. W. J., Luciano, M., Houlihan, L. M., Gow, A. J., Harris, S. E., Stewart, M. C., Rumley, A., Fowkes, F. G. R. & Price, J. F. (2010). Genetic variants associated with altered plasma levels of C-reactive protein are not associated with late-life cognitive ability in four Scottish samples. Behavior Genetics, 40, 3-11.
• McIlhagger, R., Gow, A. J., Brett, C. E., Corley, J., Taylor, M., Deary, I. J., & Starr, J. M. (2010). Differences in the haematological profile of healthy 70 year old men and women: normal ranges with confirmatory factor analysis. BMC Blood Disorders, 10:4.
• Penke, L., Munoz Maniega, S., Houlihan, L. M., Murray, C., Gow, A. J., Clayden, J. D., Bastin, M. E., Wardlaw, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (2010). White matter integrity in the splenium of the corpus callosum is related to successful cognitive aging and partly mediates the protective effect of an ancestral polymorphism in ADRB2. Behavior Genetics, 40, 146-156.
• Penke, L., Muñoz Maniega, S., Murray, C., Gow, A. J., Valdes Hernandez, M. C., Clayden, J. D.,  Starr, J. M., Wardlaw, J. M., Bastin, M. E., & Deary, I. J. (2010). A general factor of brain white matter integrity predicts cognitive speed in healthy older people. Journal of Neuroscience, 30, 7569-7574.
• Starr, J. M., Kilgour, A., Pattie, A., Gow, A. J., Bates, T. C. & Deary, I. J. (2010). Height and intelligence in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921: a longitudinal study. Age and Ageing, 39, 272-275.

2009

• Deary, I. J., Corley, J., Gow, A. J., Harris, S. E., Houlihan, L. M., Marioni, R. E., Penke, L., Rafnsson, S. B. & Starr, J. M. (2009). Age-associated cognitive decline. British Medical Bulletin, 92, 135-152.
• Deary, I. J. & Gow, A. J. (2009). Determinants of normal cognitive ageing: implications for mental capital. In Cooper, C. L., Field, J., Goswami, U., Jenkins, R. & Sahakian, B. J., Mental Capital and Mental Wellbeing, Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Deighton, R., Short, D. M., McGregor, R. J., Gow, A. J., Whittle, I. R. & McCulloch, J. (2009). The utility of functional interaction and cluster analysis in CNS proteomics. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 180, 321-329.
• Houlihan, L. M., Harris, S. E., Luciano, M., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M., Visscher, P. M. & Deary, I. J. (2009). Replication study of candidate genes for cognitive abilities: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Genes, Brain and Behaviour, 8, 238-247.
• Le Hellard, S., Håvik, B., Espeseth, T., Breilid, H., Løvlie, R., Luciano, M., Gow, A. J., Harris, S. E., Starr, J. M., Wibrand, K., Lundervold, A. J., Porteous, D. J., Bramham, C. R., Deary, I. J., Reinvang, I. & Steen, V. M. (2009). Variants in doublecortin- and calmodulin kinase like 1, a gene up-regulated by BDNF, are associated with memory and general cognitive abilities. PLoS ONE, 4, e7534.
• Luciano, M., Gow, A. J., Harris, S. E., Hayward, C., Allerhand, M., Starr, J. M., Visscher, P. M. & Deary, I.J. (2009). Cognitive ability at age 11 and 70 years, information processing speed, and APOE variation: The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study. Psychology and Aging, 24, 129-138.
• Luciano, M., Gow, A. J., Taylor, M. D., Hayward, C., Harris, S. E., Campbell, H., Porteous, D. J., Starr, J. M., Visscher, P. M. & Deary, I. J. (2009). Apolipoprotein E is not related to memory abilities at 70 years of age. Behavior Genetics, 39, 6-14.
• Luciano, M., Marioni, R. E., Gow, A. J., Starr, J. M. & Deary, I. J. (2009). Reverse causation in the association between C Reactive Protein and Fibrinogen levels and cognitive abilities in an aging sample. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71, 404-409.
• Luciano, M., Miyajima, F., Lind, P. A., Bates, T. C., Horan, M., Harris, S. E., Wright, M. J., Ollier, W. E., Hayward, C., Pendleton, N., Gow, A. J., Visscher, P. M., Starr, J. M., Deary, I. J., Martin, N. G. & Payton, A. (2009). Variantion in the dysbindin gene and normal cognitive function in three independent population samples. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 8, 218-227.
• Penke, L., Bates, T. C., Gow, A. J., Pattie, A., Starr, J. M., Jones, B. C., Perrett, D. I. & Deary, I. J. (2009). Symmetric faces are a sign of successful cognitive aging. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 429-437.

2008

• Deary, I. J. & Gow, A. J. (2008). Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project. Determinants of normal cognitive ageing: implications for mental capital. The Government Office for Science, London.
• Gow, A. J., Johnson, W., Pattie, A., Whiteman, M. C., Whalley, L., Starr, J. & Deary, I. J. (2008). Mental ability in childhood and cognitive aging. Gerontology, 54, 177-186.
• Watson, R., Roberts, B., Gow, A. & Deary, I. (2008). A hierarchy of items within Eysenck's EPI. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 333-335.

2007

• Deary, I. J., Gow, A. J., Taylor, M. D., Corley, J., Brett, C., Wilson, V., Campbell, H., Whalley, L. J., Visscher, P. M., Porteous, D. J. & Starr, J. M. (2007). The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: a study to examine influences on cognitive ageing from age 11 to age 70 and beyond. BMC Geriatrics, 28.
• Gow, A. J., Pattie, A., Whiteman, M. C., Whalley, L. J. & Deary, I. J. (2007). Social support and successful ageing: investigating the relationships with lifetime cognitive change and life satisfaction. Journal of Individual Differences, 28, 103-115.
• Patton, N., Pattie, A., MacGillivray, T., Aslam, T., Dhillon, B., Gow, A., Starr, J. M., Whalley, L. J. & Deary, I. J. (2007). The association between retinal vascular network geometry and cognitive ability in an elderly population. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 48, 1995-2000.

2005

• Gow, A. J. (2005). Book Review: “Publishing Your Psychology Research” Dennis M. McInerney. PsyPAG Quarterly, 54, 21-22.
• Gow, A. J., Whiteman, M. C., Pattie, A. & Deary, I. J. (2005). Goldberg’s ‘IPIP’ Big-Five factor markers: internal consistency and concurrent validation in Scotland. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 317-329.
• Gow, A. J., Whiteman, M. C., Pattie, A. & Deary, I. J. (2005). The personality-intelligence interface: insights from an ageing cohort. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 751-761.
• Gow, A. J., Whiteman, M. C., Pattie, A., Whalley, L., Starr, J. & Deary, I. J. (2005). Lifetime intellectual function and satisfaction in old age: longitudinal cohort study. British Medical Journal, 331, 141-142.

2004

• Gow, A. J. (2004). Investigating an age old problem: The Scottish Mental Survey of 1932 and its contributions to cognitive ageing research. PsyPAG Quarterly, 50, 14-20.
• Gow, A. J. & Deary I. J. (2004). Is the PASAT past it? Testing attention and concentration without numbers. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 26, 723-736.  Email to request further information about the Paced Auditory Serial Opposites Task (PASOT).

Conference Presentations

• Is the PASAT past it? Testing attention and concentration without numbers. Poster presentation at ISSID 2003 (International Society for the Study of Individual Differences), Graz, Austria, 13th-17th July 2003. Conference costs were funded by contributions from a Psychology Department Postgraduate Conference Grant and a Small Project Grant from the University of Edinburgh Development Trust.
• Personality associations with cognition and satisfaction in old age. Poster presentation at ECP12 (12th European Conference on Personality), Groningen, the Netherlands, 18th-22nd July 2004. The poster was awarded 3rd prize. Conference costs were funded by PPLS Research Costs.
• Social support networks, loneliness and cognitive ageing. Poster presentation at the BPS (British Psychological Society) Quinquennial Conference, Manchester, UK, 30th March-2nd April 2005. Conference costs were funded by a PPLS Small Project Grant.
• Predictors of successful ageing: Findings from the longitudinal follow-up of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Presentation at the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland/Royal Society of Edinburgh Symposium on the Ageing Population, Edinburgh, UK, 26th April 2006.
• Job characteristics and successful cognitive ageing. Poster presentation at the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland/Royal Society of Edinburgh Symposium on the Ageing Population, Edinburgh, UK, 26th April 2006.
• Personality, activity and ability as determinants of successful cognitive ageing and survival. Presentation in the invited symposium Personality and Health across the Life Span (Organisers - M. Whiteman & M. Vollrath) at ECP13 (13th European Conference on Personality), Athens, Greece, 22nd-26th July 2006. Conference costs were funded by Psychology and PPLS Travel Committee Grant.
• Determinants of normal cognitive ageing in surviving participants of the Scottish Mental Survey 1947. Poster presentation at the RiA (Research into Ageing) Grantholders' Conference, Birmingham, UK, 14th &15th September 2006.
• Occupational characteristics and cognitive ageing. Presentation at ISSID 2007 (International Society for the Study of Individual Differences), Giessen, Germany, 22nd-27th July 2007. Conference costs were part funded by a British Academy Overseas Conference Grant.
• Determinants of normal cognitive ageing in surviving participants of the Scottish Mental Survey 1947. Poster presentation at the RiA (Research into Ageing) Grantholders' Conference, Birmingham, UK, 5th & 6th September 2007.
• The Disconnected Mind - the use of imaging in clinical research. Presentation at the UK Clinical Research Facilities Annual Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 3rd & 4th July 2008.
• Personality and mortality in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Presentation in the invited symposium Psychobiology of Personality (Organisers - B. af Klinteberg & J. Hennig) at ECP14 (14th European Conference on Personality), Tartu, Estonia, 16th-20th July 2008.
• Determinants of normal cognitive ageing: demographic, genetic and dietary contributions. Presentation at the RiA (Research into Ageing) Grantholders' Conference, Birmingham, UK, 10th & 11th September 2008.
• Determinants of normal cognitive ageing in surviving participants of the Scottish Mental Survey 1947. Poster presentation at the RiA (Research into Ageing) Grantholders' Conference, Birmingham, UK, 10th & 11th September 2008.
• The Disconnected Mind. Poster presentation at the RiA (Research into Ageing) Grantholders' Conference, Birmingham, UK, 10th & 11th September 2008.
• Investigating the associations between religious activity and involvement, spirituality and normal cognitive aging. Presentation in the symposium Individual differences in the elderly: the Lothian Birth Cohort Studies (Organiser - L. Penke) at ISSID 2009 (International Society for the Study of Individual Differences), Evanston, USA, 18th-22nd July 2009.
• The Disconnected Mind: Life-course predictors/socioeconomic factors. Presentation in The Disconnected Mind session (Chair – I. Deary) at the RiA (Research into Ageing) Grantholders’ Conference, Birmingham, UK, 2nd & 3rd September 2009.
• Where would we be without our childhood intelligence? Presentation at the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE) Annual Research Day, Edinburgh, UK, 10th September 2009.
• Is age kinder to the initially more able?: Yes, and no. Poster presentation at the BSPID (British Society for the Psychology of Individual Differences) Inaugural Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 28th April 2010.
• Intelligence and life satisfaction: when they go, do they go together? Presentation in the symposium Individual differences and successful ageing (Organiser - A. J. Gow) at ECP15 (15th European Conference on Personality), Brno, Czech Republic, 20th-24th July 2010. Conference costs were part funded by Guarantors of Brain.
• The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: lifestyle determinants of cognitive ageing. Presentation in The Disconnected Mind session at the Inaugural Research for Later Life Conference, Nottingham, UK, 15th & 16th September 2010.
• Social networks, support and cognitive abilities in the elderly. Poster presentation at the Inaugural Research for Later Life Conference, Nottingham, UK, 15th & 16th September 2010.
• Cognitive ageing, lifestyle and behaviour. Presentation at the Joint Meeting on Cognitive Ageing, NHS Health Scotland Public Health Science Directorate, Glasgow, UK, 27th April 2011.
• Activity, engagement and cognitive ageing. Presentation in the symposium Genetic, brain imaging, biomarker and lifestyle effects on intelligence across the lifecourse: New results from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (Organiser – I. J. Deary) at ISSID 2011 (International Society for the Study of Individual Differences), London, UK, 25th-28th July 2011.
• Identifying lifestyle predictors of cognitive ability in the Lothian Birth Cohorts. Presentation at the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE) Annual Research Day, Edinburgh, UK, 6th September 2011.
• Neuroprotective lifestyles and the ageing brain. Presentation in the symposium Cognitive investment and engagement: mechanisms, development, and life outcomes (Organiser - S. von Stumm) at ECP16 (16th European Conference on Personality), Trieste, Italy, 10th-14th July 2012.
• Activity and cognitive ageing: a healthy mind in a healthy body? Presentation in the symposium What factors contribute to successful cognitive ageing? (Organiser – I. J. Deary) at the 8th World Congress on Active Ageing, Glasgow, UK, 13th-17th August, 2012.

Grants

Current grants

• Deary, I. J., Bates, T. C., Starr, J. M., & Gow, A. J. A hundred at ninety: the common cause hypothesis of ageing tested in four waves of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 (LBC1921). Scottish Executive: Health Department, Chief Scientist Office. £184708. January 2011-June 2012 (Ref. ETM/55).

2011

• Gow, A. J., Avlund, K, & Mortensen, E. Guest professor programme collaboration between the Center for Healthy Aging (University of Copenhagen) and the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (University of Edinburgh). 167.000 DKR, June-August 2011.

2010

• Deary, I. J., Porteous, D., & Tenesa, A. A genome-wide association study of non-pathological cognitive ageing. Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council. £872,558. September 2008-August 2010 (Ref BB/F019394/1). Named collaborator.
• Guarantors of Brain travel grant part-funded attendance at ECP15 (15th European Conference on Personality), in Brno, Czech Republic, 20th-24th July, 2010.

2007–08

• Deary, I. J., Bates, T., Starr, J. M., & Gow, A. J. Testing the common cause hypothesis of cognitive ageing in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. Scottish Executive: Health Department, Chief Scientist Office. £175,326. March 2007-August 2008 (CZB/4/505).

2007

• British Academy Overseas Conference Grant part-funded attendance at ISSID 2007 (International Society for the Study of Individual Differences), in Giessen, Germany, 22nd-27th July, 2007.

2006

• Psychology and PPLS Travel Committee Grant funded attendance at ECP13 (13th European Conference on Personality), in Athens, Greece, 22nd-26th July, 2006.

2002–05

• The Royal Society of Edinburgh/Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Research Studentship.

2005

• PPLS Small Project Grant funded attendance at BPS Quinquennial Conference, in Manchester, UK, 30th March-2nd April 2005.

2004

• Poster presentation 3rd prize at ECP12 (12th European Conference on Personality).
• PPLS Research Costs funded attendance at ECP12, in Groningen, the Netherlands, 18th-22nd July, 2004.
• PPLS Research Costs and Psychology Department Bench Fees to fund Phase II Self-report Booklet preparation and mailing.

2003

• Psychology Department Postgraduate Conference Grant and Small Project Grant from the University of Edinburgh Development Trust funded attendance at ISSID 2003 (International Society for the Study of Individual Differences), in Graz, Austria, 13th-17th July 2003.

2002

• Final honours research dissertation Highly Commended in the national Experimental Psychology Society/British Association for the Advancement of Science Undergraduate Project Prize.

1998–2002

• The University of Edinburgh Open Bursary.

Teaching

2010

• Psychosocial predictors of cognitive ageing (MSc Module: Cognitive ageing and cognitive epidemiology).
• Human cognitive neuroscience from cognition to genes (MSc Module: Neuroscience/Neuroinformatics).
• Determinants of normative cognitive ageing (Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods for Medical Scientists).

2009

• Human cognitive ageing: individual differences (MSc Module: Cognitive ageing and cognitive epidemiology).
• Human cognitive neuroscience from cognition to genes (MSc Module: Neuroscience/Neuroinformatics).

2008

• Human cognitive ageing: individual differences (MSc Module: Cognitive ageing and cognitive epidemiology).
• Longitudinal Designs (MSc Module: Methods of data collection).

2006-07

• Tutorial "Activity participation and cognitive ageing" (MSc Module: Intelligence issues and cognitive ageing research).

2002

• Demonstrator for Statistics and Experimental Design, Linguistics.

Affiliations

Centre Scientist in the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE).

Member of the:

• The Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (Co-chair);
• Association for Psychological Science (APS);
• British Psychological Society (BPS);
• British Society for the Psychology of Individual Differences (BSPID);
• British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA);
• European Association of Personality Psychology (EAPP);
• International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID).