How stress and bodily signals affect brain aging after brain injury in veterans
Official title: Mechanisms of allostatic load in post-TBI brain aging: the relationship between autonomic flexibility and interoceptive neural networks
Funded at Veterans Health Administration · NIH-11460421 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will study how chronic stress and body signals relate to thinking and memory in older veterans who have had traumatic brain injuries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2026 |
| Project end | September 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 1IK2RD000580-01A2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11460421 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults (likely 65+) with a history of traumatic brain injury, including geriatric and remote TBI burden, within the Alzheimer's disease and related dementias context.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without a history of TBI or not in the specified older adult category may not experience direct benefits.
What this research studies
The researchers will examine how the autonomic nervous system and interoceptive brain networks change with age after TBI and how these changes relate to cognitive function. By comparing older veterans with different levels of chronic TBI burden, they aim to map how allostatic load and interoception influence memory and cognition. The study builds on prior findings showing connections between brain networks, autonomic regulation, and cognitive outcomes after TBI. It uses clinical assessments and neuroimaging to understand these relationships over time in an older population.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could lead to targeted strategies to protect brain health and cognitive function in aging veterans with TBI.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest interoceptive brain networks and autonomic function relate to recovery after TBI, but this age-focused comparison is a novel contribution.
Where this research is happening
-
Veterans Health Administration
Gainesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Waters, Abigail — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Waters, Abigail
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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.