# Impact and Implications of concurrent hearing and vision impairment on risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and social isolation in older adults

> **NIH NIH F31** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $40,654

## Abstract

The goal of the proposed fellowship is to prepare the applicant, Alison Huang, for an independent
research career focused on informing approaches to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
(ADRD) through the understanding of modifiable sensory and social risk factors. The proposed fellowship
consists of two complementary components: (1) a research project that aims to assess the impact of dual
sensory impairment (DSI, concurrent hearing and vision impairment) on risk for ADRD, social isolation, and
cognitive training intervention efficacy; and (2) a training plan composed of mentored research, didactic and
informal training, and professional development. The applicant will be supported by a strong mentorship team
with expertise in cognitive aging, sensory impairment, social isolation, and statistical and epidemiologic
methods. The research-training plan will help Ms. Huang a) learn and apply rigorous methods for analysis of
longitudinal data; b) strengthen content expertise in sensory, social, and cognitive ADRD risk factors; and c)
effectively disseminate her findings and strengthen skills in teaching and leadership.
 In the absence of effective treatments, interventions to reduce ADRD risk are critical. Identification and
understanding of how interactions between modifiable risk factors impact magnitude of ADRD risk is needed to
inform ADRD interventions. There is scientific premise to suggest DSI is a strong risk factor for ADRD, yet
there is gap in the research in this area. Sensory impairment also amplifies and may interact with other ADRD
risk factors, such as social isolation, to increase risk. In addition to conferring ADRD risk, sensory impairment
can impact efficacy of current ADRD interventions that rely on auditory/visual tasks yet DSI is rarely considered
in intervention design and implementation. To fill these gaps, this project proposes to use longitudinal data
from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the Advanced Cognitive Training for
Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) randomized control trial to investigate: (1) the associations between
DSI and 9-year cognitive change and incident dementia; (2) DSI as a risk factor for social isolation over time
and as a moderator of the social isolation – cognitive change and incident dementia associations; and (3) DSI
as a moderator of cognitive training intervention effects on 10-year cognitive change and incident dementia.
 The proposed research directly addresses high priority areas for NIA. The 2020-2025 NIA Strategic
Directions for Research on Aging calls for more research on how “multiple factors, such as…social
engagement…sensory dysfunction interact to … contribute to cognitive decline” (Goal D-6) and for research to
support “interventions for treating, preventing, or mitigating the impact of age-related diseases and conditions”
(Goal C-3). Findings from the proposed study may support inclusion of sensory impairment in multi-domain
ADRD intervent...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10231460
- **Project number:** 1F31AG072746-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Alison Rei-Chi Huang
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $40,654
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-16 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10231460

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10231460, Impact and Implications of concurrent hearing and vision impairment on risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and social isolation in older adults (1F31AG072746-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10231460. Licensed CC0.

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