Using social networks and online tools to lower Alzheimer's risk and find it earlier
Informatics-enhanced Social Networks and Affiliation Processes (ISNAP) to promote risk reduction and early diagnosis of Alzheimer's and Related Dementias.
This project uses people's social connections and computer analysis to help adults—especially older adults and people with diabetes—reduce Alzheimer's risk and notice early signs sooner.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11195586 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will look at how your in-person relationships and online information searches influence decisions about brain health and seeking medical care. They will use interviews and small-group qualitative methods together with large-scale text analysis and machine learning to map what people say and do online and offline. The team will create network maps and models that link group and pairwise social ties to individual behavior stages and care-seeking delays. Results are intended to target known risk factors for cognitive aging and improve outreach and early detection for Alzheimer’s-related dementia.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults—especially those 65 and older and people with adult-onset diabetes—who engage with social networks or community groups and are willing to share information about their health information-seeking and care-seeking behaviors.
Not a fit: People who do not use online or community social networks or whose concerns are unrelated to cognitive aging may not directly benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better messaging and social-network–based approaches that help people change risky habits and get diagnosed earlier.
How similar studies have performed: Some past projects show social networks can change health behaviors, but combining advanced informatics and network modeling specifically for early detection of dementia is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Myneni, Sahiti — University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
- Study coordinator: Myneni, Sahiti
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 below.