The Normative Aging Study is a comprehensive interdisciplinary longitudinal study located in the VA Outpatient Clinic in Boston, Mass. The study was inaugurated in 1963 by the VA because of its statutory responsibility for the medical care of 25 million war veterans of whom 2 million are now 65 years of age and over, a figure which will rise to over 7 million in the next 20 years. Approximately 2,000 male veterans are enrolled for their lifetime as research subjects and undergo recurrent examinations administered on an outpatient basis The focus of the study is on non-pathological aging, so that the subjects were carefully screened in advance to satisfy rigid health criteria regardless of age. The study is distinctive because of its large N and the socioeconomic diversity of its population. Parameters include clinical medicine, biochemistry, special senses, oral medicine, anthropometry and behavior. The study is designed to investigate the relationship between normal aging and the natural history of chronic diseases. The investigation of environmental correlates of age change throughout the logitudinal design will also suggest the intrinsic or extrinsic nature of the aging process. The hybrid cross-sectional-longitudinal design will also enable the partialing of secular from true aging effects. Functional ages pertaining to various aspects of aging are being developed as a tool for assessing relative aging rates and the relationship among such differences in aging.The Normative Aging Study, an intramural research project of the Veterans Administration, began in 1963 at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Boston, Mass. The study was conceived as an interdisciplinary, longitudinal approach to the investigation of aging processes, beginning with adulthood and ending with death (Bell, Rose, & Damon, 1966). There were at the time a number of other adult longitudinal studies already underway around the country, but we saw the pressing need for combining a number of special characteristics not present in already existing studies. ROLE OF THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATIONThe VA has a special interest in aging research (Coppinger, 1967). It has broad statutory responsibility to provide medical care for 25 million war veterans whose average age is forty-five. The bulk of these are 15 million World War I1 veterans who are now approaching the age when functional decrements begin. A projection of the number of veterans sixty-five years of age and over shows a startling increase in the years ahead. At the present time, there are about 2 million veterans sixty-five years of age and over, and in the next twenty years this will skyrocket to over 7 million (see Figure l), due to the aging World War I1 veteran population (Annual Report, 1971 : 4,s). VA research is linked to patient care, therefore, the growing responsibility for care of aging veterans creates a 5

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Parkinson disease (PD) is known as a common progressive neurodegenerative disease which is clinically diagnosed by the manifestation of numerous motor and nonmotor symptoms. PD is a genetically heterogeneous disorder with both familial and sporadic forms. To date, researches in the field of Parkinsonism have identified 23 genes or loci linked to rare monogenic familial forms of PD with Mendelian inheritance. Biochemical studies revealed that the products of these genes usually play key roles in the proper protein and mitochondrial quality control processes, as well as synaptic transmission and vesicular recycling pathways within neurons. Despite this, large number of patients affected with PD typically tends to show sporadic forms of disease with lack of a clear family history. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) meta-analyses on the large sporadic PD case–control samples from European populations have identified over 12 genetic risk factors. However, the genetic etiology that underlies pathogenesis of PD is also discussed, since it remains unidentified in 40% of all PD-affected cases. Nowadays, with the emergence of new genetic techniques, international PD genomics consortiums and public online resources such as PDGene, there are many hopes that future large-scale genetics projects provide further insights into the genetic etiology of PD and improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic clinical trial designs.

Binocular depth perception was investigated in 164 healthy Ss of the Normative Aging Study, in connection with a model of ocular aging which explains change in the dioptric media in the forties on the basis of mechanical change and later change in the retina on the basis of metabolic change. A modified Verhoeff stereopter was used. The results showed a marked diminution to make stereoptic judgments occurred in the forties decade. This is in accordance with the model. In a companion paper, retinal field shrinkage will be explored as an illustration of later metabolic age change.