Lifelong stress and Alzheimer’s biology linked to memory decline in older Black women
Lifetime stressors and Alzheimer's Disease genetic variants and biomarkers in relation to cognitive decline among Black Women'sHealth Study participants.
This project looks at how lifetime stress together with Alzheimer’s-related genes and blood markers relate to memory and thinking changes in Black women aged 55 and older.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11298983 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join about 2,500 Black women aged 55+ from the Black Women's Health Study who have answered health and life-history questionnaires over many years. Researchers will combine those long-term reports of social and psychological stress with stored blood tests for genetic data and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers. They will compare those measures to participants' memory and thinking scores to see which combinations are linked with faster decline. The goal is to find social and biological patterns that help explain higher dementia risk in Black women.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Black women aged 55 or older, especially those enrolled in or similar to participants of the Black Women's Health Study who can share health history and biospecimens.
Not a fit: Men, people younger than 55, or those without long-term health data or available blood samples are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit from this specific project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is at higher risk so prevention and earlier support can be targeted to Black women most likely to experience memory decline.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies—mostly in White populations—have linked stress, genetics, and biomarkers to cognitive decline, but applying this combined approach to Black women is less well tested.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Suchy-Dicey, Astrid M — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Suchy-Dicey, Astrid M
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 below.