# Amyloid PET and blood biomarker supplement to the Delirium Program Project

> **NIH NIH P01** · HEBREW REHABILITATION CENTER FOR AGED · 2021 · $227,288

## Abstract

Abstract
 Delirium is a common, costly, life-threatening, and potentially preventable problem for older persons. The
development of delirium is considered to be a marker of brain vulnerability; however, its relationship to
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) remains unclear. In the parent Program
Project renewal grant, we are now conducting a series of 5 interlinked projects applying innovative approaches
to deepen our exploration of pathophysiologic pathways potentially contributing to delirium and its associated
cognitive decline. We are examining the role of amyloid markers in primary aims of Projects 1, 3, and 5, and in
cross-linking aims across all projects. In our original proposal, we proposed using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
biomarkers to quantify amyloid status in a subsample (n=128) of the SAGES I cohort, and in all of the new
SAGES II cohort (n=350-400); however, about 25-30% of the participants are either medically ineligible or will
not receive CSF sampling (due to their own or their surgeon’s preference). We will be completing SAGES II
cohort enrollment in the next year, and anticipate about 80-90 participants where CSF amyloid status will not
have been determined.
 In this supplement, we request support for 2 Sub-Projects: (1) addition of 30 [F18] Florbetapir (“Amyloid”)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans to measure amyloid status in SAGES II participants who did not
receive CSF sampling; (2) measurement of novel biomarkers for neurodegeneration (p-tau 181 and GFAP) in
stored plasma from the entire SAGES I cohort (n=560). This supplement will enhance the impact of the
Program Project in several ways. First, amyloid-PET will allow us to assure we can assess amyloid status for
most high-risk participants who do not receive CSF sampling, and to achieve the original aims. Second, PET
imaging allows abnormally elevated cerebral amyloid to be localized, which will offer opportunities to relate
amyloid imaging measures to the variety of MRI and electrophysiological measures we are obtaining. Third,
the biomarker assays would allow us to validate additional potential blood-based predictors of delirium,
delirium severity, and post-operative cognitive decline (aligned with our original aims), which would provide risk
markers to stratify future patients for clinical trials and to monitor response to treatment.
 Thus, obtaining the additional scans and assays will ensure the achievement of our original aims and will
also magnify the overall impact of the Program Project, through modifications that are well-aligned with the
original aims. This supplement will truly bolster the Program Project, and allow it to achieve its goals of
advancing our understanding of delirium and its relationship to AD/ADRD, and ultimately, to develop more
effective strategies for prevention and treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10430721
- **Project number:** 3P01AG031720-09S2
- **Recipient organization:** HEBREW REHABILITATION CENTER FOR AGED
- **Principal Investigator:** SHARON K. INOUYE
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $227,288
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10430721

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10430721, Amyloid PET and blood biomarker supplement to the Delirium Program Project (3P01AG031720-09S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10430721. Licensed CC0.

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