# The Role of Impaired Physical Function during Midlife on Predicting future ADRD

> **NIH NIH R03** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $287,889

## Abstract

Project Summary
To reduce the increasing societal and financial burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD),
prevention is critical. Even small improvements of the modifiable dementia risk factors on the individual level
have the potential to lead to a substantial reduction of dementia cases at the population level. The disease
processes occur for years though symptoms typically appear after age 60. Thus, identifying those at risk early
for intervention is crucial. Studies among adults aged 60 years and older have identified performance-based
measures of impairment in physical function as early indicators of ADRD, three or more years prior to onset. To
improve earlier prediction of ADRD, we need research on adults aged 51-59 years to assess the relationship
between physical functional impairment and likelihood of ADRD onset years later. Further, given the burden of
administering performance-based measures of physical function, it would be advantageous to use patient-
reported metrics of limitation in physical function for ADRD prediction. We propose using the 1998-2018
nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) of adults aged 51-59 years to determine the extent
to which patient-reported measures of function would facilitate efficient ADRD risk identification.
Primary study aims are to: 1) To identify the extent to which self-reported measures of physical function
in midlife predict future late-onset ADRD. We will use standardized (RAND HRS) self-reported measures of
function and the Langa-Weir ADRD algorithm available in the HRS. Working hypothesis: Limitations in physical
function, defined using summary measures of self-reported physical function predict onset of ADRD 4 to 20 years
later. 2) Verify that sub-groups of adults, defined by limitations in physical function, aged 51-59 are at
higher risk of developing ADRD. We will verify existence of sub-groups (identified in our preliminary analyses)
using a computational systems approach (cluster analysis) are predictive of onset of ADRD through 2018, in
adjusted analyses. Working hypothesis: Sub-groups of middle-aged adults with unique patterns of limitations in
physical function are at higher risk of developing ADRD than those without physical functional deficit 4 to 20
years later, independent of related factors. This proposal addresses the objectives of PAS-19-391 in several
ways. First, the Principal investigator (PI), an early stage investigator, is committed to a career in ADRD research.
Second, the investigative team has training in non-neurological medical fields and will shift their research focus
to ADRD prevention within their fields. Third, the PI has experience with an existing dataset (HRS); and will use
it to assess age-related changes in non-cognitive processes that may be early signs of ADRD. Finally, the PI
published an HRS study reporting that physical functional decline precedes the onset of diabetes, a risk factor
for ADRD. Our proposal builds o...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10106121
- **Project number:** 1R03AG070668-01
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Barbara Bardenheier
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $287,889
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10106121

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10106121, The Role of Impaired Physical Function during Midlife on Predicting future ADRD (1R03AG070668-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10106121. Licensed CC0.

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