Thinking variability and Alzheimer's markers in adults with Down syndrome

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

You would take short thinking tests that measure memory, attention, processing speed, and problem-solving so researchers can calculate how much your performance varies across tasks (intraindividual cognitive variability, IICV). The team will link those variability scores to blood markers (amyloid 42/40, p-tau217, NfL) and brain scans for amyloid and tau using data from about 300 adults in the ABC-DS study with visits at baseline and 18 months. The work uses existing ABC-DS cognitive and biomarker data and may involve blood draws and PET imaging collected at those visits. This approach seeks a low-cost, non-invasive signal that could point to early dementia risk in people with Down syndrome.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
  Newark, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Fonseca, Luciana — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
• Study coordinator: Fonseca, Luciana

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• Understanding cognitive variability in adults with Down syndrome and its link to Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers

  A study of adults with Down syndrome to see if everyday ups and downs in thinking tests can predict Alzheimer’s-related changes and dementia using blood and brain biomarkers.

  NIH research Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · Newark, UNITED STATES · NIH-11413879

• Understanding cognitive changes in aging adults with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

  This study is looking at how differences in thinking skills among adults with Down syndrome might be connected to early signs of Alzheimer's disease, and it's for adults with Down syndrome who want to help us understand more about dementia.

  NIH research Washington State University · Pullman, United States · NIH-10900616

• Beaver Dam Offspring Study: How midlife senses and aging markers relate to early Alzheimer’s and dementia

  This study follows adults who previously participated in a long-term cohort to see if midlife changes in hearing, vision, smell, and aging biomarkers can predict later risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

  NIH research University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, United States · NIH-11374798

• Combining aging surveys to understand memory, Alzheimer's, and dementia care

  This project brings together long-term survey data from many countries and adds things like air pollution and care-policy information to see how they relate to memory, mild cognitive problems, and Alzheimer's risk in older adults.

  NIH research University of Southern California · Los Angeles, UNITED STATES · NIH-11371146

• Midlife memory and dementia risk in Kenyan adults

  This work looks at midlife thinking and memory and how childhood health and life experiences might affect future dementia risk for Kenyan adults.

  NIH research University of California Berkeley · Berkeley, United States · NIH-11322043

• Understanding how sensory changes and aging in midlife relate to Alzheimer's and dementia

  This project explores how changes in hearing, vision, and smell, along with signs of aging in middle age, might predict the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias later in life.

  NIH research University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, United States · NIH-11122200

About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.