How alcohol affects Alzheimer’s risk
Project 1: Alcohol use and AD/ADRD risk: innovative methods and data for new insights
This project looks at whether different amounts of alcohol—light, moderate, or heavy—change the chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias in adults.
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-11189721 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are combining health records and data from ten diverse clinical and population cohorts to get clearer numbers on alcohol and dementia risk. They will analyze light, moderate, and heavy drinking and compare cognitive outcomes across groups. The team will use advanced statistical methods, genetic tools, and policy-based comparisons to separate drinking effects from other factors. The goal is to produce more reliable estimates that could inform clinical advice and public health policy.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older whose medical records or long-term study data include information on alcohol use and cognitive outcomes would be relevant to this research.
Not a fit: People with advanced, established Alzheimer’s disease or those without recorded information on alcohol use or cognitive status are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify safe drinking guidance and help reduce dementia cases through better clinical and public health recommendations.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have given mixed and sometimes biased results, so this project uses larger datasets and newer methods to produce clearer, more reliable findings.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Glymour, Medellena Maria — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Glymour, Medellena Maria
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.