Balancing brain activity to protect memory in aging and Alzheimer’s disease
Official title: The balance of excitation and inhibition in medial temporal lobe subfield in cognitive aging�
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11335810 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Johns Hopkins team tests how balancing brain signals in the medial temporal lobe may help memory in aging and Alzheimer’s disease, with findings that could guide future therapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 1997 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $445,272 |
| NIH project number | 2P01AG009973-31 |
| Project ID | NIH-11335810 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with aging-related memory difficulties or Alzheimer’s disease dementia who are able to participate in neuroimaging, biomarker, or cognitive assessments.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without memory or cognitive concerns or those unable to participate in imaging or biomarker studies may not benefit.
What this research studies
As a patient, you might learn how aging and Alzheimer’s disease affect memory through changes in brain circuits in the medial temporal lobe. The researchers will study how the balance between excitatory and inhibitory signals (especially involving PV and SOM interneurons) supports memory encoding and pattern separation, and how this balance changes with age and disease. They will use human data and animal models to explore how molecules like NPTX2 influence this balance and neuronal stability. The work aims to identify targets that could preserve memory by maintaining healthy brain network activity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new strategies to maintain memory and slow decline in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
How similar studies have gone: Past studies show that maintaining excitation-inhibition balance supports memory; this grant builds on prior findings and extends them to aging and AD models.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kirkwood, Alfredo — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Kirkwood, Alfredo
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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.