# Cohort Differences in Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Education Effects and Sex Differences

> **NIH NIH R03** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2021 · $160,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
The prevalence rates of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) is
projected to rise as the population ages, but the trends may be altered by the demographic process of
cohort replacement. Determining the relative contribution of population aging, periodical shift, and cohort
process to the overall trend is thus critical for accurate estimation and projection of the prevalence and
incidence rates of cognitive impairment and ADRD. However, the field lacks a valid method for assessing
the unique effects of cohort membership. The major goal of the proposed research is to develop a novel
method and analyze multi-cohort longitudinal datasets to identify cohort variations and sex differences in
cognitive impairment and ADRD and how education effects vary between cohorts and sex groups. Aim 1
is to develop a much-needed age-period-cohort model to accurately and reliably estimate cohort differences
in cognitive impairment and ADRD. Aim 2 is to determine sex differences in cognitive impairment and
ADRD between and within cohorts. The proposed investigation in Aim 2 will help identify a set of risk and
protective factors separately for men and women. Aim 3 is to elucidate the degree to which education
effects on cognition and ADRD may differ between birth cohorts and between men and women. The
proposed research in Aim 3 will provide important clues about how education may interact with age-related
changes in cognitive and non-cognitive processes to delay the onset and development of ADRD.
The project is innovative in that the methodological development can produce reliable and efficient
estimates of cohort-related variations. The estimation accuracy of cohort effects on cognition and ADRD is
further improved by leveraging multiple longitudinal cohort studies and by borrowing distribution information
for small samples. The proposed research will also analyze two longitudinal datasets for the Baby Boom
cohorts to assess their life-course pathways to cognitive impairment and ADRD.
The PI has expertise in cohort analysis and demographic process. The co-I is a neuroscientist and
specialized in the areas of ADRD-related biosocial factors. The project's interdisciplinary team has
necessary methodological and substantive areas of expertise and is thus ideally positioned to accomplish
Aims 1-3.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10109599
- **Project number:** 1R03AG070812-01
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Liying Luo
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $160,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-02-15 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10109599

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10109599, Cohort Differences in Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Education Effects and Sex Differences (1R03AG070812-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10109599. Licensed CC0.

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