Circadian Health and Brain Health in Alzheimer’s and FTLD
Official title: Circadian Disturbance and Dementia
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11601661 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aiming to understand how daily sleep-wake rhythms relate to dementia by studying people with Alzheimer’s, FTLD, and healthy controls.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $63,720 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG083799-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11601661 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 40–80 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, or who are cognitively healthy controls.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals outside the 40–80 age range or those without any dementia-related condition may not directly benefit from this analysis.
What this research studies
This project will analyze a large, diverse group of adults aged 40–80 who have Alzheimer’s disease, FTLD, or no dementia, using existing data from the ReDLat collaboration. Researchers will examine how circadian disturbances correlate with cognitive and daily functioning across different settings, including demographic and environmental factors. By combining neurocognitive data with sleep and activity patterns, the study seeks clues about whether improving circadian health could influence dementia outcomes. The work leverages a rich, multi-dimensional dataset to identify potential targets for interventions that align daily rhythms with brain health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide lifestyle or therapeutic strategies to support sleep and daily rhythms in people at risk for or living with dementia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show links between circadian disruption and cognitive decline, but this project seeks deeper, cross-setting insights using a large Latin American–focused cohort.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hu, Kun — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Hu, Kun
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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.