How life circumstances affect brain aging in people with end-stage kidney disease
Official title: Social Determinants of Health, Resilience, and Premature Cognitive Aging in End-stage Renal Disease
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11472074 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how neighborhood, income, education, and personal resilience relate to earlier memory and thinking problems in adults with end-stage kidney disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $41,556 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG077888-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11472074 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with end-stage kidney disease (on dialysis) who appear in the national ESRD registry or Medicare databases are the primary population for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without end-stage kidney disease or those not included in the national registry/Medicare data are unlikely to be part of this project and will not directly benefit from its findings.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers will link national dialysis registry records and Medicare data to information about 14 social and neighborhood factors across five areas like economic stability and education. They will compare thinking and daily function across the adult lifespan, including younger and older adults on dialysis, and pay special attention to Black patients who face higher risk. The team will also study resilience factors that might protect thinking skills despite social disadvantages. Findings will aim to explain why cognitive decline happens earlier in many people with end-stage kidney disease and point to where supports might help.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal social and community targets for programs that prevent or delay memory and thinking problems in people with end-stage kidney disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has shown high rates of cognitive impairment in dialysis patients and links between social factors and cognitive health, but this large, nationwide SDOH-focused approach across the lifespan is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcadams Demarco, Mara a. — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Mcadams Demarco, Mara a.
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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.