Memory and Brain Health Clinical Program
Clinical Core
Offers annual memory, thinking, sleep, and blood-vessel health visits for older adults to help researchers learn more about Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11078766 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll have yearly memory and thinking tests, medical and neurological exams, and questionnaires about daily function, behavior, and mood so clinicians can track changes over time. The program plans to enroll about 300 older adults and holds biweekly multidisciplinary meetings to determine cognitive diagnoses. At the start, and again at 24 and 48 months, you'll be invited to vascular testing (arterial stiffness, carotid ultrasound, and endothelial function) and sleep monitoring (sleep diary, wrist actigraphy, and overnight polysomnography). The Clinical Core also coordinates brain imaging, fluid biomarker work, and autopsy arrangements with partner labs to link clinical findings to biological measures.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Older adults (including people with or without memory complaints) who can travel to Pittsburgh for yearly visits and agree to cognitive testing, sleep and vascular measurements, and long-term follow-up.
Not a fit: People unable or unwilling to attend in-person follow-up visits, complete sleep studies, or consent to autopsy coordination are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could improve understanding of how sleep and vascular health relate to cognitive decline and help refine diagnosis and future treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
How similar studies have performed: Prior observational cohorts have successfully linked sleep disturbances and vascular measures to dementia risk, and this program builds on those established methods.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Snitz, Beth — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Snitz, Beth
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.