How long-term stress on the body and neighborhood conditions affect thinking and memory in middle-aged and older adults
Official title: Examining the Role of Allostatic Load and Neighborhood Context in Cognitive Function Trajectories among Midlife and Older Americans
Funded at Xavier University of Louisiana · NIH-11194360 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether lasting stress on the body and neighborhood problems relate to thinking and memory changes in people aged 50 and older.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Xavier University of Louisiana NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Orleans, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $187,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R16NS141736-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11194360 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This work is most relevant to U.S. adults aged 50 and older, especially those concerned about memory changes or living in neighborhoods with high stress or disorder.
✕Less likely to help
People under age 50 or those seeking a direct medical treatment for Alzheimer’s disease likely would not directly benefit from this observational, secondary-data project.
What this research studies
From the patient perspective, researchers are using national Health and Retirement Study data collected from 2006–2016 to follow adults over age 50 and see how their thinking and memory change over time. They measure 'allostatic load' as a marker of long-term physiological stress across body systems and combine that with neighborhood information like local demographics and how people feel about disorder or cohesion in their area. The team will use baseline regression and growth-curve models to relate allostatic load and neighborhood factors to cognitive trajectories. Findings will focus on whether neighborhood conditions make the effects of stress on thinking and memory better or worse.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to stress-related and neighborhood factors that communities or clinicians could target to help slow cognitive decline.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked long-term physiological stress to worse thinking and memory, but combining longitudinal allostatic load measures with objective and perceived neighborhood factors is a more recent approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Xavier University of Louisiana
New Orleans, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thierry, Amy — Xavier University of Louisiana
- Study coordinator: Thierry, Amy
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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.