Thinking skills and self-care after a liver transplant
Official title: Cognitive Function, Self-Management, and Health Outcomes among Liver Transplant Recipients: the LivCog Cohort
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11398886 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people who received liver transplants to learn how changes in thinking and memory affect managing medicines, clinic visits, and overall health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | May 4, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $674,780 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK132138-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11398886 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have recently received a liver transplant and can complete cognitive testing, questionnaires, and medical follow-up are the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
People without a liver transplant, those outside the recruitment window, or those unable to attend follow-up visits or complete testing would not be eligible and likely would not benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you join, you would have regular tests of memory, attention, and problem-solving, plus questionnaires about taking medicines and handling daily health tasks. The team will review your medical records, track hospital visits and lab results, and follow these measures over time after transplant. They will also collect information about age, alcohol history, other health problems, and caregiver support to see how these affect thinking and self-care. The goal is to understand who may need extra support to stay healthy after a liver transplant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors identify transplant patients who need extra cognitive or self-management support to prevent complications.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show cognitive problems are common in liver disease before transplant, but long-term, detailed tracking after transplant is relatively limited, making this cohort approach somewhat novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Serper, Marina — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Serper, Marina
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Innate and Adaptive Immunoregulation in Liver Transplant Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
A liver transplant-focused project investigates how the body’s early and later immune responses affect transplant failure or success after reperfusion.
-
Biomarker-guided reduction of immunosuppression after liver transplant
A multicenter trial tests whether using blood biomarkers to guide tapering of immunosuppression in adults with liver transplants can keep people healthy while lowering drug exposure.
-
Understanding how liver disease progresses in people waiting for a liver transplant
A study will build a knowledge base that maps how liver disease worsens over time in patients on the transplant waitlist to improve care and planning.
-
Biomarkers to tailor liver transplant immunosuppression
A multi-center study using blood biomarkers to guide how immunosuppressive drugs are given to liver transplant patients.
-
Pre-Transplant Immune Health Marker Panel to Predict Liver Transplant Outcomes
A patient-facing biomarker test used before liver transplant to help doctors estimate the risk of early death after the transplant.
-
Integrated care to improve outcomes after early liver transplant for alcohol-associated liver disease
A multi-center study will pair liver transplant care with behavioral and biopsychosocial support to help people with alcohol-related liver disease who are considered for early transplant.
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.