Small blood-vessel changes in the brain linked to walking and thinking abilities
Official title: Cerebral Small Vessels in Motor and Cognitive Decline: Neuroimaging Signatures of Vulnerability & Resilience
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11308701 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for MRI patterns that explain why some midlife and older adults—especially African American people and women—keep good walking and thinking abilities despite white matter changes in their brains.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2014 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $708,891 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS085002-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308701 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are midlife to older adults with white matter hyperintensities on brain MRI, particularly African American people and women.
✕Less likely to help
People without white matter changes, much younger adults, or those unable to undergo MRI would be unlikely to directly benefit from participating.
What this research studies
Researchers use advanced brain MRI scans to measure white matter damage and the health of nearby tissue and brain networks. They analyze diffusion properties of apparently normal white matter and resting-state functional connections. Those imaging findings are compared with tests of gait and cognitive performance in mid- to late-life adults. The work intentionally focuses on African American participants and women to understand vulnerability and resilience in groups often under-represented in past studies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify who is likely to maintain mobility and thinking despite white matter changes and point to targets for preventing decline.
How similar studies have gone: Previous imaging work has linked white matter hyperintensities to gait and cognition and identified related markers, but combining diffusion and functional network measures with a focus on African American people and women is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sorond, Farzaneh a — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Sorond, Farzaneh a
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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.