Bladder medicines and their effects on thinking, bladder control, and daily function in older women
Cognitive, urinary, and functional trajectories of older women using pharmacologic treatment strategies for urgency incontinence
This project compares common bladder medicines to see how they affect memory, bladder symptoms, and everyday functioning in older women with urgency incontinence.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308631 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will follow older women with urgency incontinence over time while they use different bladder drugs, especially anticholinergics and the newer beta-3 agonist mirabegron. They will use sensitive cognitive tests, urinary symptom measures, and daily function assessments to track changes across months to years. The team will link prescription records and clinic data to map long-term trajectories of thinking, bladder control, and independence. Results are intended to show whether some medications carry higher risks to memory or everyday function.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are women age 60 or older with urgency incontinence who are starting or already taking prescription bladder medications.
Not a fit: Men, younger people, or those without urgency incontinence or not taking bladder medicines are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help doctors choose bladder medicines that protect thinking and independence in older women.
How similar studies have performed: Several observational studies have linked anticholinergic bladder drugs to higher dementia rates, but prospective trials with sensitive cognitive testing have been few, small, and inconclusive.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huang, Alison — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Huang, Alison
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 below.