Understanding Brain Changes from Alcohol Use and Aging
Official title: CNS Deficits: Interaction of Age and Alcoholism
Funded at Sri International · NIH-11088162 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how alcohol use disorder and aging together affect brain health and memory.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sri International NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Menlo Park, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 1983 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $825,680 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA005965-39 |
| Project ID | NIH-11088162 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include actively drinking men and women with alcohol use disorder, non-alcoholic individuals with mild cognitive impairment, and age-matched healthy controls.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not actively drinking or those without cognitive concerns related to alcohol or aging may not directly benefit from participation in this particular study.
What this research studies
We want to understand if long-term alcohol use, especially as people get older, can lead to memory problems like mild cognitive impairment or even dementia. Our team will look at brain changes over time in people who drink alcohol, those with mild memory issues, and healthy individuals. We will use advanced brain imaging techniques to see how different parts of the brain and their connections are affected. This helps us learn if alcohol speeds up brain aging and how it might contribute to memory loss.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better ways to identify, prevent, and treat cognitive decline in older adults who have a history of alcohol use.
How similar studies have gone: Previous findings have shown accelerated brain aging in individuals with alcohol use disorder and different patterns of brain degradation in those with cognitive deficits, suggesting a foundation for this novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Sri International
Menlo Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pfefferbaum, Adolf — Sri International
- Study coordinator: Pfefferbaum, Adolf
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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.