Grit and memory resilience in older adults with early Alzheimer's changes
Official title: Grit against cognitive decline in aging and preclinical Alzheimer Disease
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11195092 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Learn whether stronger persistence ('grit') and its brain signals help older adults with early Alzheimer's changes keep their memory sharp.
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 20, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $811,319 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG085377-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195092 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults who are cognitively normal but show early Alzheimer's brain changes (amyloid-positive) and can attend clinic visits for testing and imaging.
✕Less likely to help
People with symptomatic Alzheimer's dementia, severe cognitive impairment, or unrelated major neurological illnesses are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research.
What this research studies
You would answer questions and do tasks that measure how much you stick with difficult challenges to rate your level of persistence or 'grit.' Researchers will take brain scans to look at activity and connections in motivation-related areas such as the anterior mid-cingulate cortex and will check for Alzheimer's markers like beta-amyloid. The study will compare people who are cognitively normal but have early amyloid changes and have high versus low grit to see who keeps their memory over time. The aim is to understand how mindset and specific brain circuits might help protect thinking as people age.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to protect memory by strengthening persistence or targeting specific brain circuits.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier studies have linked grit to preserved memory and identified the mid-cingulate as important for persistence, but applying these findings to prevent Alzheimer's symptoms is still novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Touroutoglou, Alexandra — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Touroutoglou, Alexandra
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Grit and memory protection in aging and early Alzheimer’s disease
Aging adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease may keep sharper thinking if they have grit, and this project explores how motivation and brain signals relate to memory in at-risk older adults.
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Exploring how grit can help prevent cognitive decline in aging and Alzheimer's disease
This study is looking at how having determination and staying motivated can help older adults, especially those at risk for Alzheimer's, keep their thinking skills strong even when certain brain changes are present.
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How inflammation-linked metabolism affects memory loss in aging and Alzheimer's
Looking at whether blocking an inflammatory signal outside the brain can fix immune-cell metabolism and help memory in older adults and people with Alzheimer's.
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Cerebellum changes in aging and cognitive decline
Researchers are studying how aging affects the cerebellum and how these brain changes relate to moments of cognitive decline in people aged 65 and older.
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Mitochondria and Thinking in Aging Brains: How Energy Rooms Affect Memory in Alzheimer’s
This project looks at how mitochondrial energy in the aging brain relates to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease in people and in people with mitochondrial DNA disorders.
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Peripheral immune signals and blood vessel health in aging and dementia
This project looks at how platelet and neutrophil activity relate to brain changes and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, especially those at higher cardiovascular risk.
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.