Why thinking and memory change with age
Official title: Neural and Biochemical Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging
Funded at University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab · NIH-11197586 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are tracking older adults with brain scans and memory tests to learn why some people keep their memory even when Alzheimer's-related changes are present.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2009 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $901,078 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG034570-12 |
| Project ID | NIH-11197586 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults (typically community-dwelling seniors) willing to undergo repeated cognitive testing and brain imaging and who can attend multiple visits at the Berkeley site.
✕Less likely to help
People with advanced dementia, younger adults, or those unwilling/unable to travel for imaging and follow-up visits are unlikely to benefit from participation.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be followed over time with regular memory tests and brain imaging that can detect amyloid and tau proteins linked to Alzheimer's. The team selects older adults who have had three or more visits in the Berkeley Aging Cohort and compares people who stay high-performing (resilient) or have less brain pathology than expected (resistant). Imaging includes PET scans to look for amyloid and tau, along with clinical and cognitive testing across visits. The goal is to find biological and behavioral features that explain why some people age successfully despite Alzheimer-related brain changes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to protect memory or identify people who might benefit from earlier monitoring or prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Other studies using PET imaging have linked amyloid and tau to memory decline, but focusing on why some people remain unaffected despite pathology is a newer and growing area of research.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab
Berkeley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jagust, William J. — University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab
- Study coordinator: Jagust, William J.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Aging Well with HIV: Alcohol, Risk Reduction, and Education Center (AWAR3E)
A center at Yale is exploring how aging with HIV interacts with alcohol use to create inflammation and frailty, with the goal of finding biomarkers and potential treatments.
-
Cognitive SuperAging: Exploring why some octogenarians stay sharp in memory
This NIH grant studies why a small group of people aged 80+ keep memory skills as good as much younger people, hoping to understand how to protect memory as we age.
-
Biological aging across the lifespan through a national high school-to-adult study
This grant uses a long-running national study of students and adults to collect saliva biomarkers of aging, alongside surveys, to understand how aging markers relate to health and life experiences.
-
Understanding how aging and Alzheimer’s affect how people make tough choices
This NIH grant studies how aging and Alzheimer’s risk change how people decide between immediate and delayed rewards and risky options, with the goal of helping older adults stay financially and healthwise safer.
-
Understanding how brain resilience and multiple brain pathologies influence aging and Alzheimer's disease
A long-term study follows older adults to learn how resilience to brain changes helps reduce dementia risk and what biological factors are linked to better cognitive aging.
-
National Neighborhood Data Archive helps researchers study aging health in U.S. neighborhoods
A nationwide data resource will help researchers understand how where people live affects health and aging, with a focus on respiratory illnesses in older adults.
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.