# The impact of neighborhood greenspace on cognitively healthy life years and structural markers of brain health

> **NIH NIH R36** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $40,448

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Consistently, studies indicate there are stark racial differences in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease and
related dementias (ADRDs), wherein older Black individuals are about twice as likely to have ADRDs as
compared to older White individuals. Racial residential segregation is considered a fundamental driver of racial
disparities in health, as historically disadvantaged neighborhoods are associated with less access to and
differing quality of resources that promote health and wellness. Specific aspects of disadvantaged and
historically redlined neighborhoods, including decreased exposure to greenspace, are associated with poorer
cognitive function. Targeting such environmental risk factors for ADRDs is appealing as they are highly
modifiable, unlike many individual-level risk factors. This study will utilize secondary data from the Health,
Aging and Body Composition Study, a population-based, biracial sample of adults aged 70-79 at entry. The
overall objective of this application is to examine the influence of exposure to residential greenspace that
contributes to time spent in cognitive health among older adults and to structural brain changes over time.
Cognitively healthy life years (HLY), or years lived to the first occurrence of cognitive problems, is a metric that
can facilitate better understanding of risk factors specifically associated with the length of time spent in years of
cognitive health. This represents a substantive departure from the status quo by expanding the definition of
“healthy” cognition into a person-centered metric more understandable to the individual, and better
encapsulates burden as both a measure of morbidity and mortality. Relatedly, structural measures of brain
health, such as magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers, are quantitative indicators of neuropathology that
have prognostic significance for future time spent cognitively healthy. In Aim 1, I will determine the association
between neighborhood greenspace and cognitively HLY. I hypothesize that individuals living in neighborhoods
with greater residential greenspace will maintain more cognitively healthy life years, and this association will
differ by race. In Aim 2, I will examine the association between greenspace and physical indicators of brain
health. I hypothesize that individuals living in neighborhoods with greater residential greenspace will show a
lower prevalence of neuropathology over time (measured by gray matter micro-structure and white matter
hyperintensities), and this association will differ by race. In Aim 3, I will further characterize a widely-used
composite greenspace measure using historical virtual audits, to identify the specific components of
greenspace associated with healthy cognition. Identifying the impact of modifiable, environmental risk factors
on cognition is necessary to inform future preventive interventions for healthy brain aging and public health
recommendations; a strategic direction of the National...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10425651
- **Project number:** 1R36AG076741-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Sara Godina
- **Activity code:** R36 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $40,448
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-15 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10425651

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10425651, The impact of neighborhood greenspace on cognitively healthy life years and structural markers of brain health (1R36AG076741-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10425651. Licensed CC0.

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