How metal exposures and neighborhood stress affect memory in older adults
Official title: The role of toxic and essential metal mixtures, and co-exposures to social stressors, in cognitive aging, mild cognitive impairment, and novel epigenetic age biomarkers: The Baltimore Memory Study
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11303268 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether exposure to metals and stressful neighborhood conditions are linked to memory changes and biological aging in adults aged 50–70.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | June 13, 2021 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $242,261 |
| NIH project number | 5R00ES031998-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11303268 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are Baltimore-area adults aged 50–70 who can provide biosamples (including bone lead measures or blood) and complete cognitive testing and questionnaires about their neighborhood and stress.
✕Less likely to help
People under 50 or those with advanced, non-environmental causes of dementia may not receive direct benefit from this research.
What this research studies
You would be part of research using the Baltimore Memory Study which follows people aged 50–70 from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Researchers use existing bone lead measurements, blood tests for DNA methylation “age” markers, questionnaires about stress and neighborhood conditions, and repeated cognitive tests over time. They will examine mixtures of toxic and essential metals together with social stressors to see how these combined exposures relate to mild cognitive impairment and accelerated biological aging. The goal is to connect environmental and contextual factors to changes in thinking and memory.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify modifiable environmental and social risks for memory decline and point to prevention strategies or policies to reduce exposure.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked lead and some metals to cognitive decline and epigenetic age measures are promising, but combining metal mixtures with neighborhood stress to predict cognitive decline and DNA methylation age is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moon, Katherine a — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Moon, Katherine 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.