# Longitudinal Impact of Peripheral Inflammation and Psychosocial Stressors on Cognition and White Matter Integrity in Older African Americans

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2020 · $40,358

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
There are 5.5 million Americans living today with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at a cost of $270 billion. This cost is
expected to quadruple by 2050 with 13.8 million Americans diagnosed with AD, making AD a national public
health priority. By 2050, older racial and ethnic minorities will reach approximately 42% of the population. This
is salient given that minorities, African Americans in particular, are at two times greater risk for AD compared to
non-Hispanic whites, and have the highest rates of dementia incidence. Despite this increased risk, relatively
few studies have examined the modifiable factors, and their biological mechanisms, that impart increased risk
for AD in African Americans. Because African Americans have disproportionately higher levels of
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity – all of which are known factors that increase AD risk – chronic
peripheral inflammation is posited as a unifying biological mechanism that increases AD risk in African
Americans. Higher levels of peripheral inflammation have been linked with greater psychosocial stress, poorer
cognitive function, and worse brain white matter integrity in older adults. However, the majority of prior work
has been cross-sectional and in majority non-Hispanic white cohorts. Therefore, the research goal of this
proposal is to investigate whether peripheral inflammatory marker levels are associated with worse cognition
and white matter integrity longitudinally, and whether psychosocial stressors affect these associations in older
African Americans. Our specific aims are to (1) investigate whether change in peripheral inflammation is
associated with change in cognition; (2) examine whether change in peripheral inflammation is associated with
change in white matter integrity; and (3) determine whether psychosocial stressors are associated with change
in peripheral inflammation, and whether psychosocial stressors moderate associations between inflammation,
neuroimaging, and cognitive outcomes. This proposal will leverage data from the Minority Aging Research
Study at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, an ongoing longitudinal cohort of African Americans, to
complete this work. The training goal of this proposal is for the applicant to (1) develop an advanced skillset
for interrogation of white matter via neuroimaging; (2) expand knowledge and expertise in inflammation, a key
risk factor in pathological aging; (3) cultivate competency in statistical modeling of longitudinal data; and (4)
gain training in conducting research with minority populations. Training will be completed at both the University
of Illinois at Chicago and the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center with sponsors, collaborators, and
resources at both institutions. Training will include structured mentoring experiences, formal coursework,
clinical practica, and professional development. Ultimately, this training will allow the applicant to advance in
career goals of becoming a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10074124
- **Project number:** 5F31AG064829-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Anne Boots
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $40,358
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-28 → 2021-07-27

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10074124

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10074124, Longitudinal Impact of Peripheral Inflammation and Psychosocial Stressors on Cognition and White Matter Integrity in Older African Americans (5F31AG064829-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10074124. Licensed CC0.

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