How family life in your teens may affect later brain and heart health
Antecedents of Adult Physical Health and Cognitive Risks for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in Adolescent Family Experiences: A Prospective, Longitudinal Adoption Study
This project follows people who were adopted or raised in different family settings to link teen family experiences with midlife heart health, inflammation, and dementia risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11326641 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a long-term follow-up of the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study, which began with adolescents and includes 409 adoptive and 208 non-adoptive families. The team combines previously recorded observations of parent-child interactions with new questionnaires, clinic measures (like blood pressure and blood tests for inflammation), cognitive testing, and genetic markers such as APOE. By comparing adopted and non-adopted siblings, researchers aim to separate effects of family environment from genetic risk. Participation typically involves clinic visits, blood draws, and memory and thinking tests to build a picture of midlife risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who were part of the original SIBS cohort (adopted or non-adopted) or people with well-documented adolescent family interaction histories willing to provide health and cognitive data.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate treatments for dementia or those without information about their adolescent family experiences are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify early family patterns that increase risk for dementia and cardiovascular problems and point to earlier prevention or support for people at higher risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked risky family environments to higher inflammation, blood pressure, and later cognitive problems, but long-term prospective adoption-based data on ADRD risk are rare.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Krueger, Robert F — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Krueger, Robert F
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.