How sleep and gut bacteria relate to thinking in middle age
Official title: Microbiome profiles, sleep, and cognition among mid-life adults
Funded at Florida International University · NIH-11367286 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at connections between sleep, the mix of gut bacteria, and thinking skills in Hispanic middle-aged adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida International University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Miami, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $373,048 |
| NIH project number | 5U54MD012393-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367286 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are middle-aged Hispanic adults (for example, about 40–65 years old) living in the South Florida area who can provide stool samples, wear a sleep monitor, and complete cognitive testing.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not middle-aged Hispanic adults, those living outside the recruitment area, or those unable/unwilling to provide biological samples or wear sleep monitors are unlikely to benefit directly from joining.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will recruit about 150 Hispanic adults living in South Florida and collect stool samples to map gut bacteria. You will wear an objective sleep monitor, provide saliva for cortisol, and complete memory and thinking tests and questionnaires about sleep. The team will analyze how sleep patterns and the gut microbiome together relate to current thinking skills and risk factors for future decline. The goal is to find modifiable targets that could help protect thinking and memory.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to sleep or gut microbiome changes that reduce risk of cognitive decline and guide new prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research suggests links between sleep, the gut microbiome, and brain health, but community-based studies are limited and this approach in Hispanic midlife adults is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida International University
Miami, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Burke, Shanna L — Florida International University
- Study coordinator: Burke, Shanna L
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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.