Red tide air toxins and brain health
Official title: Neurological effects of aerosolized red tide neurotoxins
Funded at Roskamp Institute, INC. · NIH-11175422 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether breathing red tide toxins causes memory problems, fatigue, or other brain symptoms in coastal residents, especially people with APOE e4 or a history of migraines or chronic fatigue.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Roskamp Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Sarasota, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $700,329 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES036145-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11175422 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Gulf Coast residents or visitors exposed to red tide aerosols who experience memory problems, fatigue, headaches, or other neurological symptoms, and people with a history of migraine or chronic fatigue.
✕Less likely to help
People who live far from red tide events, are not exposed to aerosolized brevetoxins, or whose symptoms have a different known cause are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If you live near the Gulf Coast, researchers will collect air samples during red tide blooms and take blood tests to measure brevetoxins and antibodies while asking about neurological symptoms. They will also offer genetic testing for APOE variants and compare people who report symptoms to those who do not. The team will link air measurements, blood toxin levels, immune markers, and symptom reports to look for dose–response relationships. The work focuses on whether people with migraine, chronic fatigue, or the APOE e4 gene are more likely to experience brain-related effects from aerosolized brevetoxins.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is most at risk and inform protections or treatments to reduce brain-related effects from red tide exposure.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has detected brevetoxins and antibodies in blood and linked exposure to short-term NSP-like symptoms, but using genetic risk (APOE e4) and detailed air-to-blood dose relationships is a more recent and relatively novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Roskamp Institute, INC.
Sarasota, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abdullah, Laila — Roskamp Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Abdullah, Laila
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.