# Exploring the link between the muscle proteome, physical activity, cognitive resilience and Alzheimer's disease

> **NIH NIH U24** · BATTELLE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LABORATORIES · 2021 · $490,604

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
No effective treatments are available to reduce the consequences of pathologic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and
related pathologies on cognitive decline and AD dementia in our aging population. While the link between
physical activity and cognition is well-documented, the molecular mechanisms underlying its cognitive benefit
have not yet been identified. This knowledge gap is a barrier for physical activity interventions to prevent AD
and related dementias (ADRD) and cognitive decline in old age.
This proposed supplement will apply the large-scale muscle proteomics platform developed by MoTrPAC
project to muscle samples from deceased well-characterized older participants of the Memory and Aging
Project at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center to discover muscle proteins impacted by physical activity in older
adults and identify proteins which may link a higher level of physical activity with better cognition and reduced
odds of dementia prior to death.
The proposed project will leverage available data and biospecimens from Memory and Aging Project including
annual cognitive and motor testing, self-report medical history and physical activity. Quantitative physical
activity metrics are extracted from multiday recordings from a wrist-worn monitor during everyday living. Brain
indices of ADRD pathologies are collected from decedents undergoing autopsy and frozen quadriceps muscle
is available. The project has two objectives:
1) Quantify the proteome in postmortem quadriceps muscle samples (N = 500) from well-characterized older
adults. Apply the large-scale muscle proteomics platform developed by MoTrPAC project for relative
quantification of ~8,000 proteins in quadriceps muscle samples.
2) Identify muscle proteins which link a higher level of physical activity with better cognition and reduced odds
of dementia in older adults. A multistage analysis will be used to identify muscle proteins related to a) physical
activity and b) cognition proximate to death. Then analyzing proteins related to both phenotypes, we will
identify proteins that link physical activity with better cognition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10285732
- **Project number:** 3U24DK112349-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** BATTELLE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LABORATORIES
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua N. Adkins
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $490,604
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-12-08 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10285732

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10285732, Exploring the link between the muscle proteome, physical activity, cognitive resilience and Alzheimer's disease (3U24DK112349-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10285732. Licensed CC0.

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