The Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS): The VLS is a large-scale and multi-faceted investigation of human aging. The VLS examines actual changes in numerous aspects of health and medications, memory and cognition, neuropsychological status, biological and sensory functioning, neurological and cognitive impairment, as well as adaptivity and successful aging. It operates in two favourable sites in western Canada. The overall research, administrative, and lab headquarters of the VLS are in beautiful and booming Edmonton, the capital city of the Province of Alberta. Our dedicated participants regularly visit our continually active VLS lab in lovely Victoria, on Vancouver Island, off the coast of the Province of British Columbia.

Leadership and Collaborators: Since its inception in the late 1980s, the VLS has been continuously funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Roger A. Dixon has been Director and Principal Investigator of the VLS since 1994/95. Since 2002, Dr. Dixon has received two consecutive terms of NIH MERIT Award funding (2002-2007; 2007-2012) for the VLS (NIH R37 AG008235). The VLS has also benefited from supplemental funding from numerous other sources, including AHFMR, Alberta Health Services, Canada Research Chairs, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, other NIH grants, and the Universities of Alberta (Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine) and Victoria (Faculty of Social Science).

Further Information: For further information on Roger Dixon, VLS Director, please visit his website. For more information about VLS, please click on the links above. To contact or visit the VLS labs in Edmonton or Victoria please click here.

New Genetics Initiative: In 2009 the VLS began a new genetics initiative at both sites. The initiative is funded by a grant to Alberta colleagues Roger Dixon (Psychology), Jack Jhamandas (Neurology), and David Westaway (Prion Centre). For more information, see the VLS News page.