How brain reserve helps protect thinking and daily function in aging
Official title: Brain pathologies, reserve and cognition in aging and dementia
Funded at University of California at Davis · NIH-11307136 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looking at how lifestyle, brain changes, and brain scans relate to why some older adults keep thinking clearly despite Alzheimer-related changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California at Davis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Davis, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2009 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,005,755 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG031563-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11307136 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults, including people with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who have midlife lifestyle or health data, are the best matches for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People with very advanced dementia or those who are not part of the recruited cohorts are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this observational research.
What this research studies
This project follows more than 700 people from four long-term cohorts to learn why some older adults maintain thinking and everyday functioning despite Alzheimer-related brain changes. Researchers use advanced brain imaging to measure neurodegeneration, vascular brain injury, and amyloid plaques, and link those scans with prospectively collected midlife lifestyle and health data. The study intentionally includes a large multi-racial and multi-ethnic sample and uses discovery-based imaging methods to identify brain resources that support resilience. Results are intended to point to modifiable behaviors and biological targets that help people stay cognitively healthy as they age.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to lifestyle changes and biological targets that reduce the impact of Alzheimer-related changes and help people stay mentally sharp longer.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies suggest cognitive reserve and lifestyle links to resilience, but this project applies newer imaging methods and larger, more diverse cohorts to build stronger evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California at Davis
Davis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tomaszewski-Farias, Sarah E — University of California at Davis
- Study coordinator: Tomaszewski-Farias, Sarah E
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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.