Circadian Health and Dementia in AD and FTLD patients
Official title: Circadian Disturbance and Dementia
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11601664 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study at a major hospital will look at how daily sleep-wake rhythms relate to dementia in people with Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal degeneration.
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) | $180,193 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG083799-05S3 |
| Project ID | NIH-11601664 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 40–80 with Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, or without dementia (controls) enrolled in the ReDLat database.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals outside the age range or not represented in the ReDLat cohorts may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital will use data from the ReDLat program, examining how circadian disturbances align with dementia symptoms in adults aged 40–80. The project will combine demographic, cognitive, and lifestyle information with circadian measures to understand their relationship to Alzheimer’s disease and FTLD. By analyzing a large, diverse database, the team hopes to identify modifiable circadian factors that could influence disease progression or quality of life. This work builds on existing observations that disrupted sleep and daily rhythms are linked to worse health outcomes in older adults with dementia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide lifestyle or therapeutic strategies to support circadian health and potentially slow dementia-related decline.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows links between circadian disruption and cognitive impairment, but the specific connection to AD and FTLD across diverse settings remains under study.
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.