# The Role of Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Risk in Predicting Parkinson's Disease Dementia

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $187,652

## Abstract

The pathologic mechanisms of cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease (PD) are poorly understood,
although Alzheimer's disease (AD) co-pathology plays an important role. Over 80% of people with PD will
develop dementia, causing lower quality of life, increased caregiver burden, and worse health outcomes.
Symptomatic therapies are only minimally effective, and no disease-modifying therapies exist, which represent
major unmet needs. Improving our understanding of the neurobiology of PD dementia (PDD) can elucidate
pathways for novel treatment development. Identifying the role of AD genetic risk factors in PDD will broaden
our understanding of this disease. We hypothesize that AD genetic risk factors will predict faster cognitive
decline, greater tau and amyloid-β42 (Aβ) deposition as reflected in molecular biomarkers, and more AD co-
pathology in PD. Dr. Tropea will leverage multiple existing research cohorts at the University of Pennsylvania,
the Pacific Northwest Udall Center (PANUC), who are longstanding UPenn collaborators, and the international
Parkinson's Progression Markers marker Initiative (PPMI). The aims of this proposal are to test whether
genetic variants in genome-wide association with risk of AD are associated with 1) longitudinal cognitive
decline, 2) a greater degree of neurodegeneration, tau and Aβ deposition reflected in molecular biomarkers, 3)
AD neuropathology in PD.
 The K23 candidate is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at The University of Pennsylvania. He previously
completed a movement disorders fellowship and NINDS T32-supported Masters of Translational Research. He
has a history of productivity, having conducted basic and clinical research in neuroscience, recently focusing
on PDD. The candidate is committed to a career in translational research and proposes a comprehensive five-
year plan of mentorship, formal training, self-directed learning, and research. This K23 award will establish Dr.
Tropea as a clinician-scientist with expertise in 1) developing and executing genetic association studies; and 2)
understanding common genetic risk between AD and PD. This career development award will support Dr.
Tropea's short-term goals, including 1) developing a detailed understanding of genetic association studies and
polygenic risk scores in predicting clinical, biomarker, and neuropathological outcomes, 2) acquisition of skills
necessary to analyze and interpret complex clinical and genetic data; and 3) developing skills for analyzing
biomarker and neuropathology data. Dr. Tropea will meet these objectives under the guidance of a Mentorship
Team, including Dr. Alice Chen-Plotkin (primary mentor), a federally-funded clinician-scientist and established
mentor, Dr. John Q Trojanowski (co-mentor), a world-renowned expert in the molecular pathology of ageing
and neurodegeneration with a distinguished record of faculty mentorship, and Dr Sharon X. Xie, an expert in
biostatistics in neurodegeneration. This Award will support Dr. T...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10254407
- **Project number:** 5K23NS114167-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas Francis Tropea
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $187,652
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10254407

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10254407, The Role of Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Risk in Predicting Parkinson's Disease Dementia (5K23NS114167-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10254407. Licensed CC0.

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