Cognition and Risk-Factor Data Hub for Alzheimer's research
Core D: Cognition, Exposure, and Covariates (CEC) Data Core
This project combines many types of patient and study data to link memory and thinking changes with alcohol use, depression/antidepressant use, hearing and vision care, and social isolation for people at risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11189711 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team combines medical records, memory test results, and survey information from multiple studies to build clean, shared datasets researchers can use. They standardize how cognitive decline and dementia are defined so different studies can be compared more reliably. The core focuses on four risk areas—alcohol, depression and antidepressants, hearing and vision care, and social isolation—and prepares analytic files for each research project in the program. They also work through methodological issues like whether clinical diagnoses or repeated research cognitive tests better capture decline and how to handle multiple causes of dementia.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are older adults or people at risk for Alzheimer's disease, including those with memory concerns, histories of heavy alcohol use, depression or antidepressant use, hearing or vision problems, or social isolation.
Not a fit: People who are young, have no cognitive concerns, or belong to groups not represented in the contributing datasets may not see direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could speed up discoveries about which modifiable risk factors most influence dementia risk and help target prevention efforts.
How similar studies have performed: Other research efforts have pooled datasets and linked risk factors to dementia, but this core is novel in standardizing measures across four priority risk domains for coordinated analysis.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Casaletto, Kaitlin B — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Casaletto, Kaitlin B
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.