How asthma affects walking and the brain in older adults
The influence of asthma on walking in older adults: brain predictors, medication adherence and asthma control
This project looks at whether asthma, asthma control, and how well people take their inhaled medicines relate to brain changes and walking ability in older adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Albert Einstein College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bronx, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167773 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll do walking tests where you walk while doing a simple thinking task so researchers can see how walking changes under mental load. You'll have brain imaging (including measures of gray matter, cortical thickness, and white matter integrity) and short repeated measurement sessions using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor brain activity during walking. The team will track your use of controller asthma medicines and measure asthma symptoms and control with questionnaires and adherence monitoring. The researchers will combine these brain and behavioral measures to identify modifiable factors that might explain mobility problems in older adults with asthma.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Older adults with a physician diagnosis of asthma who can walk safely, are willing to attend visits at the study site, and can undergo brain imaging and wearable monitoring would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without asthma, those who cannot walk safely or perform the dual-task walking test, or those unable to undergo brain imaging are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways—like improving medication adherence or targeting specific brain pathways—to help older adults with asthma keep walking better and avoid disability.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked asthma to mobility problems and have used dual-task walking and fNIRS in aging, but combining detailed brain structure measures, fNIRS, and medication adherence in older adults with asthma is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
Bronx, United States
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine — Bronx, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Holtzer, Roee — Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Holtzer, Roee
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.