Detailed brain and memory testing to detect Alzheimer's risk in older African American adults
Innovative Deep Phenotyping of African Americans at Risk for Alzheimers disease
This project uses home visits, memory tests, and brain scans to look for early signs of Alzheimer's in older African American adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Miami School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Coral Gables, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11320705 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will come to your home to do memory tests and set up simple equipment to track thinking and daily function. The team will provide door-to-door transportation so you can get MRI and amyloid PET scans at local imaging centers. The work combines cognitive testing, brain imaging, and biomarker samples while accounting for common health conditions in the community. All of this aims to find the earliest changes linked to Alzheimer's so future treatments can be offered sooner.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are older African American adults, especially those with memory concerns or known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
Not a fit: People who are younger than the study's target age range, live outside the South Florida recruitment area, or cannot undergo MRI/PET scans may not be eligible or benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help detect Alzheimer's earlier in African American adults and connect them to better-targeted treatments and trials.
How similar studies have performed: MRI, PET, and biomarker approaches have aided early Alzheimer's detection in other groups, but deep home-based phenotyping focused on African American older adults is comparatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Coral Gables, United States
- University of Miami School of Medicine — Coral Gables, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Loewenstein, David — University of Miami School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Loewenstein, David
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.