How education and social factors affect dementia across diverse groups
Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia across Diverse Populations
This project brings researchers together to understand how schooling, social and economic factors, and biology relate to dementia risk and resilience in diverse older adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Maryland, College Park NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Park, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11323134 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are building an interdisciplinary network that links existing long-term population studies to combine social, psychological, and biological data about dementia. The team will harmonize data, share methods, and run coordinated analyses to pinpoint how education shapes dementia risk and resilience. They will pay special attention to differences by race and ethnicity to better explain disparities. The goal is to clarify pathways so future prevention efforts can be targeted more effectively.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with or at risk for Alzheimer's disease or related dementias—especially older adults from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and with varying levels of education—would be most relevant to the findings of this work.
Not a fit: Patients seeking an immediate treatment or a clinical trial of a new drug are unlikely to benefit directly, since this project focuses on research coordination and understanding causes rather than offering therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to specific social or biological pathways to target interventions that reduce educational disparities in dementia outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has linked education to dementia risk, but bringing together biosocial data across multiple cohort studies in a coordinated network is a newer approach aimed at clarifying mechanisms.
Where this research is happening
College Park, United States
- Univ of Maryland, College Park — College Park, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Walsemann, Katrina — Univ of Maryland, College Park
- Study coordinator: Walsemann, Katrina
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.