Understanding how blood pressure and heart rate respond to stress and their impact on aging and Alzheimer's disease
Official title: Epidemiology of blood pressure responses to perturbations: Correlates and prognosis for vascular risk, end-organ damage, cognitive aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease
Funded at University of Texas Hlth Science Center · NIH-11056030 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how your blood pressure and heart rate change when you're stressed or active, to see if these changes can help us understand your heart and brain health better, especially as you age.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Science Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Antonio, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $606,121 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG075703-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11056030 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research include adults over 21 years old who may be experiencing cognitive changes or have risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are under 21 years old or do not have any cardiovascular or cognitive health concerns may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) respond to various stressors and how these responses may indicate resilience in the cardiovascular system. By analyzing the fluctuations in BP and HR after stimuli such as mental tasks and exercise, the study aims to develop new indicators that could predict risks for conditions like hypertension, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease. Patients will be monitored for their BP and HR responses, providing valuable data on how these metrics relate to overall health and aging. The goal is to better understand the relationship between cardiovascular responses and brain health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved methods for predicting and preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease in aging populations.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using cardiovascular response metrics to predict cognitive outcomes, suggesting that this approach may yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Hlth Science Center
San Antonio, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ramachandran, Vasan S — University of Texas Hlth Science Center
- Study coordinator: Ramachandran, Vasan S
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How blood pressure and heart rate recovery after everyday stresses relate to vascular health and early brain aging
This work looks at whether how your blood pressure and heart rate bounce back after everyday stresses can signal higher risk for heart disease, organ damage, memory decline, or early Alzheimer's.
-
Lipids and brain aging in Alzheimer's disease
Aims to understand how lipids in the body relate to aging of the brain and Alzheimer's disease by studying blood and brain-related lipid patterns.
-
Metabolic clues from lipids in aging and Alzheimer's disease
A lipid-focused research effort is exploring how fat-related molecules influence brain aging and Alzheimer's disease to uncover new ideas for care.
-
Metabolic clues from lipids to understand aging and Alzheimer’s disease
This grant studies how lipids in the body relate to aging of the brain and the risk and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
-
Team science approach to study aging and Alzheimer’s disease with machine learning and functional genomics
A combined team effort will use advanced computer models and brain cell data to understand how aging influences Alzheimer’s disease.
-
Brains aging and Alzheimer’s disease: a multi-scale MRI and biology study
Researchers will combine advanced diffusion MRI and biological data to better understand how aging relates to Alzheimer’s disease in people, aiming to spot early signals that may lead to prevention.
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.