# Beyond the Glomerulus: Kidney Tubule Dysfunction and Cognitive Impairments in the Elderly

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $66,846

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Chronic kidney disease and cognitive impairment are highly prevalent diseases in older adults and may share
a common pathophysiology. Evaluations of the association between kidney disease and cognitive function
have focused almost exclusively on glomerular function as the measure of kidney health. Kidney function is not
limited to the glomerulus, and measures such as estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria do not
necessarily capture the health of the kidney tubules. Kidney tubules are important for acid/base homeostasis,
nutrient reabsorption, toxin secretion, and hormone production, and are highly prognostic for kidney failure
even in the presence of normal estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria levels.
In this proposal, I aim to characterize the relationship of kidney tubule dysfunction with cognitive decline,
incident dementia and functional MRI measures of cerebrovascular disease, and evaluate whether these
kidney tubule markers provide information independent of estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria
levels. Using the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) data, I will evaluate the relationships
between urinary markers of kidney tubule dysfunction with MRI measures of brain health, including white
matter grade, cerebral blood flow, and total brain volume. Furthermore, I will provide novel data on the
relationship of kidney tubule dysfunction with longitudinal changes in cognitive function and incident dementia
among community-living older adults in the Healthy Aging and Body Composition Study. Through this
proposal, I will determine the global relationship of kidney health (both glomerular and tubular) with cognitive
health, including functional measures of cerebral vascular disease, cognitive decline and incident dementia.
This research will also catalyze my career development as an emerging kidney and cognition scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10141118
- **Project number:** 1F32DK127590-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Lindsay M. Miller
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $66,846
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10141118

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10141118, Beyond the Glomerulus: Kidney Tubule Dysfunction and Cognitive Impairments in the Elderly (1F32DK127590-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10141118. Licensed CC0.

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