How social connections change DNA and affect aging-related diseases
Official title: Epigenetic mechanisms underlying the direct and moderating effects of social connectedness on complex diseases in aging
Funded at Trustees of Indiana University · NIH-11386474 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether people’s everyday social contact patterns are linked to DNA changes that relate to aging and diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Trustees of Indiana University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bloomington, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $595,724 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG076032-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386474 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are middle-aged and older adults who can describe their social contacts and provide a saliva sample for DNA methylation testing.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking immediate clinical treatment for Alzheimer’s symptoms or those who are substantially younger than the study’s target age range may not receive direct clinical benefit from this observational research.
What this research studies
You would be asked about who you interact with and how you typically connect with friends, family, and acquaintances, and researchers will use saliva samples to measure DNA methylation, a marker of biological aging. The team uses data from the Person to Person (P2P) Health Interview Study (about 3,050 people, with ~2,600 saliva samples) to link each person’s social “signature” to methylation patterns. Researchers aim to find whether certain social patterns speed up or slow biological aging and change risk for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and dementia. The study combines face-to-face survey information with lab-based DNA measures to identify biological pathways that could explain how social life affects long-term health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal biological markers that explain how social connections influence risk for Alzheimer’s and other aging-related diseases, helping guide prevention or social-support interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Large epidemiologic studies have shown that social connectedness is linked to lower mortality, but using DNA methylation to explain those effects is a relatively new approach with limited prior results.
Where this research is happening
-
Trustees of Indiana University
Bloomington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Perry, Brea Louise — Trustees of Indiana University
- Study coordinator: Perry, Brea Louise
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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.