# Tau Burden and Spatial Spread in Preclinical Alzheimer Disease

> **NIH NIH P01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $1,802,874

## Abstract

Project 1: Project Summary/Abstract
The Adult Children Study (ACS) is an ongoing evaluation of middle to older adults at risk for development of
Alzheimer disease (AD). In Project 1 of the ACS, we use a combination of advanced imaging techniques to
explore the earliest signs of AD pathology. Using positron emission tomography (PET) we test for amyloid and
tau protein deposits in the brain, using Pittsburgh Compound B C11 (PiB) and Flortaucipir F18 (FTP) and we
examine brain structural networks, pathology and physiology using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While
amyloid deposits can be present up to 20 years before dementia symptoms, tau deposits are closely linked
with cognitive decline. We will evaluate the structural and functional changes in the brain associated with the
transition from the asymptomatic (preclinical) phase of AD into the symptomatic stages of AD dementia. We
will generate unique brain maps for each imaging modality and we will then examine these maps in relation to
one another, to develop an integrated understanding of the imaging changes which occur during the transition
from asymptomatic and symptomatic AD. We will combine this information with information about lifestyle,
exercise, diet, inflammation, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests obtained in the other ACS Cores
and Projects in order to better understand what factors lead to AD dementia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10437769
- **Project number:** 5P01AG026276-17
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN MORRIS
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,802,874
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2005-07-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10437769

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10437769, Tau Burden and Spatial Spread in Preclinical Alzheimer Disease (5P01AG026276-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10437769. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*