Aging hippocampus and cognitive control in health and MCI
Funded at College at Oswego · NIH-11333748 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant explores how aging affects memory-related brain function and thinking skills in older adults, including those with mild cognitive impairment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | College at Oswego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oswego, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $383,888 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG078266-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11333748 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged older than typical middle age, including individuals with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s-related risk factors, who can complete memory and cognitive tasks in a research setting.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without memory or cognitive concerns may not directly benefit from this study.
What this research studies
As someone living with or caring for someone at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, you may wonder how aging changes the way the brain handles goal-directed and automatic thinking. The research plans to use specialized tasks to separate how people use explicit rules versus automatic responses, and to see how the hippocampus and related brain activity relate to these processes. By studying healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment, the project aims to map brain changes that underlie everyday cognitive difficulties. The investigators will compare two task variants to untangle the psychological factors driving age-related cognitive control changes and will relate them to brain structure and function. This could lead to a better understanding of why some individuals experience more cognitive decline than others, potentially guiding future interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could improve our understanding of age-related cognitive decline and pave the way for strategies to maintain cognitive function in older adults and people with early cognitive impairment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have identified links between aging, the hippocampus, and cognitive control, suggesting this approach could yield meaningful insights.
Where this research is happening
-
College at Oswego
Oswego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hu, Sien — College at Oswego
- Study coordinator: Hu, Sien
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.