# Precision Monitoring and Assessment in the Framingham Study: Cognitive, MRI, Genetic and Biomarker Precursors of AD & Dementia

> **NIH NIH U19** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2021 · $426,435

## Abstract

Since 1976, the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) has surveilled participants for incident dementia, initially, in the
Generation 1 participants, starting 1979 in the Generation 2 cohorts and in 1994 with the smaller multi-ethnic
Omni Generation 1 cohort. As the oldest of the Generation 3 and Omni Generation 2 move into the age of
dementia risk, we extended surveillance to these two younger cohorts. Baseline and repeat neuropsychological
(NP) assessments and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have been conducted since 1999 on the
Gen 1, Gen 2 and OmniGen 2 cohorts and since 2008 with the younger cohorts. Importantly, over nearly 7
decades, FHS has collected many co- morbid features linked to future risk of late life cognitive decline and
dementia across these cohorts when they were early to middle age. Complementing the health and lifestyle data
is the availability of genetic and peripheral biomarker data. Further, beginning in 2005, digital capture of spoken
responses was added to NP testing. This was extended to written responses in 2011, allowing quantification of
spoken and written responses at levels of granularity that can detect preclinical cognitive changes that traditional
NP test scores cannot measure. Previously, we have capitalized on the multi-generation uniqueness using
genome-wide approaches to discern novel genetic associations for AD risk and AD-related traits that were not
identified in datasets up to 20 times larger. The primary goal of this FHS Brain Aging Program (FHS-BAP) is
to continue dementia surveillance, extend longitudinal characterization of cognitive phenotypes and brain
structure, bring added resources to the brain donation program including neuropathological examination, in the
FHS cohorts in order to identify new and expand on known AD-related genetic and other risk factors and
biomarkers and to pursue innovative research about the vascular and inflammatory basis of AD. Another central
objective of FHS-BAP is to facilitate more widespread sharing of this extraordinary AD data resource with the
broader scientific community. Under a new organizational structure, Administrative, Clinical, Neuropathology and
Data cores will provide a formal management and infrastructure to continue incident dementia surveillance, NP
and MRI assessments of surviving participants of all FHS cohorts, and perform neuropathological examination
of brains obtained through the FHS brain donation program. The FHS-BAP will feature three inter-related projects
that have a focus on vascular and inflammatory contributors to AD. One project will identify factors that are
associated with AD risk and resilience using longitudinal analyses of FHS data including genetic, various `omic
genetic, clinical, imaging, lifestyle and other traits. A second project will investigate the link between AD genetic
vulnerabilities and chronic peripheral inflammation. A third project will determine genetic and protein alterations
of complement-related genes and g...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10397190
- **Project number:** 3U19AG068753-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Rhoda Au
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $426,435
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10397190

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10397190, Precision Monitoring and Assessment in the Framingham Study: Cognitive, MRI, Genetic and Biomarker Precursors of AD & Dementia (3U19AG068753-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10397190. Licensed CC0.

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