# Diet and Cognition within a Reserve framework

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2022 · $661,994

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Age-related declines on many cognitive abilities are well documented and are highly associated with
subsequent development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Nevertheless, there is great variability in cognitive
abilities across individuals in susceptibility to these age-related changes. It may help to identify potential
preventive measures by elucidating the mechanisms underlying this variability. Recent advances in cognitive
neuroscience suggests that, among the elderly, variation in cognition might be due to the differences in present
brain reserve [a combined result from peak brain reserve (peak BR; peak neurobiological capital at young age)
and the brain maintenance (BM; ability of maintain against aging-related morphologic brain decline or
pathological accumulation over time)] and cognitive reserve (CR; the extent of cognitive function exceeding
what can be expected from a certain level of brain aging or pathology). Adherence to the Mediterranean-type
diet (MeDi) is one of the top modifiable protective factors against AD and cognitive decline in the literature.
However, which of the three reserve concepts (BR, BM, and CR) play a role in the cognitive benefits of MeDi is
unclear. Obtaining insight into the role of the reserve concepts in the context of diet and AD or cognition will
assist to prioritize public health efforts and provide a firm foundation for dietary recommendations on cognitive
resilience and AD prevention. We aim to examine the respective roles of BR, BM and CR in cognitive benefits
of MeDi, using data from a unique research population which includes 562 cognitively healthy participants
aged 20-80, evaluated with multimodal brain imaging measures, a neuropsychological battery, and
questionnaires on many demographic and lifestyle factors. Five-year follow-up of the cohort is ongoing. Thus,
we are well positioned to explore the association between MeDi and present BR in all age groups, of particular
interest will be the present BR of young adults representing the peak BR. For BM, we have previously
developed relative BM measures using cross-sectional data. More importantly, the longitudinal data will allow
us to directly measure BM. Finally, we have extensive experience in CR quantification. Specifically, we will: 1)
Examine whether healthy diet such as MeDi is associated with larger BR. We will examine whether closer
adherence to MeDi is associated with larger BR in all age groups, with the association in the young adults
approximating the association of MeDi with Peak BR. 2) Examine whether MeDi is associated with BM. We will
examine whether MeDi is positively associated with a relative BM proxy using cross-sectional data, and with a
direct measure of BM (using longitudinal change of brain measures). 3) Examine whether MeDi is associated
with CR. Using cross-sectional data, we will examine whether MeDi is associated with a “residual” estimate of
CR, or with the expression of previously identified CR-brain...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10360529
- **Project number:** 5R01AG061008-03
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Yian Gu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $661,994
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10360529

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10360529, Diet and Cognition within a Reserve framework (5R01AG061008-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10360529. Licensed CC0.

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