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

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

People with Down syndrome have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and this project looks at a new, inexpensive way to flag early dementia by measuring fluctuations in cognitive test results. The researchers will use existing data from the ABC-DS study, analyzing memory, thinking speed, problem solving, and visuospatial skills over two time points to calculate intraindividual cognitive variability. They will then explore how these variability scores relate to blood biomarkers like beta-amyloid and tau, as well as brain imaging markers and clinical dementia symptoms. The goal is to identify a simple predictor that could help enroll suitable individuals in future anti-Alzheimer’s therapies.

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.

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

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

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

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

• Midlife memory and dementia risk in Kenyan adults

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  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.