Optimizing medication management for delirium in Alzheimer's patients after hospitalization
Official title: A targeted analytical framework to optimize posthospitalization delirium pharmacotherapy in patients with Alzheimers disease and related dementias
Funded at Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-11077290 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how to better manage delirium in people with Alzheimer's and similar conditions while they're in the hospital, focusing on safely using and stopping antipsychotic medications to help them recover without extra side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $833,178 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG081412-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11077290 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who experience delirium during hospitalization.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, or who do not experience delirium during hospitalization, may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on improving the management of delirium, a common and serious condition affecting individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias during hospital stays. The study aims to develop a targeted framework to optimize the use of antipsychotic medications, which are often prescribed off-label to manage delirium symptoms. By addressing the challenges of safely discontinuing these medications after hospitalization, the research seeks to enhance patient recovery and minimize adverse effects. The approach involves analyzing existing clinical data to inform best practices for medication management in this vulnerable population.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to safer and more effective treatment protocols for managing delirium in patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
How similar studies have gone: While there is limited direct evidence from randomized control trials on this specific approach, similar research has highlighted the importance of careful medication management in frail elderly populations.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Joshua K — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Lin, Joshua K
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Low brain changes from anesthesia may signal early Alzheimer's risk
A study at Stanford will look at whether brain responses to anesthesia during surgery reveal early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease and delirium risk in people aged 65 and up.
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Brain circuits behind confusion after surgery in early Alzheimer's
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Delirium after surgery and its link to Alzheimer's and related dementias
This project looks at why older adults and people with or at risk for Alzheimer's can get delirium after surgery and how that might increase later dementia risk.
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Improving medication plans after hospital delirium for people with Alzheimer's and related dementias
This project will build data-driven tools to help clinicians safely stop or tailor antipsychotic medicines after a hospital episode of delirium in people with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
-
How genes and inflammation may raise risk for delirium and Alzheimer's in older adults
This project looks at whether older adults with higher genetic risk for Alzheimer's plus inflammation from events like surgery or infection are more likely to get delirium, faster memory decline, or dementia.
-
Arginine changes in people who develop delirium and thinking problems after surgery
This project looks at whether changes in arginine-related chemicals in spinal fluid are linked to delirium and later thinking problems in older adults having surgery.
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.