# FALLS: A MARKER OF PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMERS DISEASE

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $657,714

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal will study falls in older adults with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Conversion to
symptomatic AD is not an immediate process; rather, it develops slowly over a series of preclinical stages.
Although symptomatic AD is characterized by progressive cognitive problems, growing evidence suggests that
functional mobility abnormalities and an increase in falls may precede cognitive impairment. Falls are a leading
cause of morbidity and mortality in the older adult population. Older AD patients have more than twice the risk
of falls compared to the general population. Measures of everyday function are currently not included in the
evaluation of cognitively normal individuals with preclinical AD. Within a well-characterized cohort of older,
cognitively normal individuals (>65 years old) who are followed by the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Center, we will perform longitudinal in-home assessments to quantitatively evaluate falls and functional
mobility. We hypothesize that brain neuropathology (e.g., the presence of amyloid and/or tau proteins,
evidence of neurodegeneration) lead to changes in functional connectivity of brain networks. These brain
network changes affect both central nervous system markers (e.g., cognitive performance) and peripheral
nervous system markers (e.g., balance, strength, vision, and sensation). We suggest that a synergistic
interaction between central and peripheral changes leads to altered functional mobility, resulting in an increase
in falls. Our findings will advance the field of AD by identifying novel “real-world” biomarkers in preclinical
stages of AD. Assessment of falls and gait instability in the home setting could potentially serve as an
inexpensive and non-invasive screening tool to identify individuals at greatest risk for conversion to
symptomatic AD. This may have important implications for the timing of interventions in secondary prevention
trials in AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10170185
- **Project number:** 5R01AG057680-04
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Beau M Ances
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $657,714
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10170185

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10170185, FALLS: A MARKER OF PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMERS DISEASE (5R01AG057680-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10170185. Licensed CC0.

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