How loneliness and social surroundings affect the brain and dementia risk
Official title: Identifying ADRD intervention targets by characterizing neurobiological mechanisms of social isolation, loneliness, and social environment using novel imaging, molecular markers, and machine learning
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11113886 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will link loneliness, social isolation, and neighborhood factors to brain changes and dementia risk in adults using brain scans, molecular markers, and machine learning.
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 | September 15, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $653,789 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG079282-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11113886 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults—especially middle-aged and older people—who are part of long-term cohorts like the Framingham Study or who can provide imaging and blood samples alongside detailed social and health information.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking an immediate treatment or cure for dementia are unlikely to receive direct clinical benefit because this is an observational, mechanism-focused project.
What this research studies
This project uses decades of data from the Framingham Study to track how social isolation, loneliness, and your social environment relate to brain biology and dementia risk. Scientists will combine brain imaging, blood and other molecular markers, and advanced machine-learning tools to find biological patterns tied to cognitive decline. The team will relate long-term social exposures across generations to dynamic profiles of Alzheimer's vulnerability. If you are a Framingham participant, your imaging and biospecimens may be analyzed to help map these connections, but the project does not test a new drug or treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to new ways to prevent or slow Alzheimer’s by targeting social and biological risk pathways.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked loneliness and isolation to higher dementia risk, but combining large-scale multi-omic data, imaging, and machine learning to map mechanisms is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Salinas, Joel Armando — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Salinas, Joel Armando
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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How social connections and loneliness affect thinking in older adults
A study of how feeling lonely and actually having few social contacts influence thinking skills and risk of dementia in older adults.
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Understanding how social isolation and loneliness affect brain health in Alzheimer’s risk
This research looks at how feeling isolated or lonely and the social environment might influence brain changes related to Alzheimer’s disease in adults.
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Social factors and brain health: how loneliness and social support affect stroke risk and recovery
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Dyadic approach to reduce stress and loneliness in breast cancer survivors and families
A family-focused program helps breast cancer survivors and their caregivers cope with stress and isolation using a web-based, collaborative approach.
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Using smartphones to spot isolation and loneliness linked to Alzheimer’s risk
This project uses brief smartphone surveys and passive phone sensors to find patterns of loneliness and social isolation that may signal higher Alzheimer's risk in older adults with normal thinking.
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.