How high school experiences affect thinking and brain health later in life
Education and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life: The Nation’s High School Class of 1972
Researchers are re-contacting people who were high school seniors in 1972 to learn how their education and life experiences affect thinking, memory, and brain health as they age.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144995 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be re-contacted as a surviving member of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and invited to take part in in-home interviews. These visits will include detailed cognitive tests, basic physical measures, and collection of biological samples, with some participants invited for brain imaging at selected sites. The team will combine your early-school records and midlife socioeconomic information with these late-life measures to understand links between education, life course, and Alzheimer-related biology. The follow-up uses protocols successfully piloted in earlier cohort efforts to produce consistent, high-quality data.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are surviving members of the 1972 high-school senior cohort (now in their late 60s to early 70s) who originally took part in NLS-72 and can complete home visits and provide samples or imaging when asked.
Not a fit: People who were not part of the original NLS-72 cohort, are much younger, or are unable or unwilling to complete home visits or provide samples are unlikely to directly benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify specific educational experiences and life-course paths that lower the risk of memory problems and Alzheimer-related brain changes.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier follow-ups such as High School and Beyond have successfully used similar in-home cognitive and biomarker protocols, though directly linking early education to later Alzheimer's markers is a newer effort.
Where this research is happening
Austin, United States
- University of Texas at Austin — Austin, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Muller, Chandra L — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Muller, Chandra L
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.