# Towards Multisystem-Brain Successful Aging in Schizophrenia Spectrum

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2021 · $725,495

## Abstract

Project Summary
Brain imaging research has revealed accelerated age-related white matter, neurochemical and perhaps
cortical changes in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, imaging studies are typically
brain-focused without system-level investigations on the risk factors. Patients with schizophrenia spectrum
disorders also have a much shorter lifespan and high morbidity and mortality. However, medical comorbidity
studies typically do not include brain-based investigations. It remains unclear why schizophrenia spectrum
disorders have high age-related medical burden. Cumulative stress effects are predictive of successful aging in
healthy older adults. In patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, cumulative stress may disrupt brain
structure and function, and/or impaired brain structure and function may distort normal responses to stress
leading to increased cumulative stress effects. The proposal research will study cumulative stress and brain
imaging age-progression in an age span of 45 years, using a combined longitudinal and age-cohort cross-
sectional design. The study proposes to track the progression of stress-related risk factors in the periphery,
and the age-related changes in the brain, and to determine whether they will independently or interactively
contribute to age-related medical health and functional outcomes in patients with schizophrenia spectrum
disorders. These findings may guide the development of clinically actionable strategies to intercept abnormal
aging and promote successful aging in patients with this devastating illness.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137308
- **Project number:** 5R01MH116948-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** L Elliot Elliot Hong
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $725,495
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137308

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137308, Towards Multisystem-Brain Successful Aging in Schizophrenia Spectrum (5R01MH116948-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137308. Licensed CC0.

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