# Aging eyes and aging brains in studying alzheimer's disease: Modern ophthalmic data collection in the adult changes in thought (ACT) study

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2022 · $3,299,595

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT
The overarching goals of this R01 proposal are to improve scientific understanding of potential mechanisms by
which ophthalmic diseases lead to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The investigators will leverage modern
ophthalmic data with state-of-the-art imaging and extensive archived clinical data from a well-characterized
cohort of older adults. The investigators propose to examine the effect of structural and functional changes in
retina and longitudinal severity of ophthalmic diseases on Alzheimer’s disease and related neuropathology.
The proposal builds on the resources of the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, a prospective longitudinal,
population-based, dementia-free cohort of over 5,500 people to date established in 1994 which has detected
>1,014 research quality diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease and >1,254 dementia to date. ACT follows
consenting participants to autopsy and has performed state-of-the arts autopsy on >781 decedents to date.
In this extremely well-characterized cohort, the investigators found that several ophthalmic diseases (diabetic
retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration) are significantly associated with the risk of
developing Alzheimer’s disease. The investigators will use three advanced ophthalmic imaging modalities at
both home and clinical research study visits: fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and
OCT angiography (OCTA), to obtain quantitative data relevant to these ophthalmic diseases. The study team
will establish the distribution (Aim 1a) and 2- and 4-year evolution of ophthalmic imaging characteristics found
in older adults in the community and determine associations with change in cognition (Aim 1 b, c). Additionally,
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI angiography (MRA) will be obtained in a subset of participants to
investigate the contribution of small (retinal) and large (cerebral) vascular disease towards cognitive changes
(Aim 1d). The study team will continue ACT study’s strong commitment for meaningful data sharing. In
collaboration with the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at University of Southern California, the study team will
promulgate these ophthalmic data in addition to neuroimaging data to the research community (Aim 1e).
In Aim 2, the investigators will use extensive clinical ophthalmology data captured over many decades and
incorporate them in novel longitudinal models of eye disease severity. The investigators will analyze eye
disease severity along with extensive neuropathology data from the ACT study, including both standard (Aim
2a) and novel quantitative (Aim 2b) neuropathology data, to further scientific understanding of
neuropathological mechanisms underlying associations between eye conditions and Alzheimer’s disease risk.
The brain is not amenable to direct observations during life. In contrast, the eye is an anterior extension of the
central nervous system and may provide a valuable window to illuminate neurodegener...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10452548
- **Project number:** 5R01AG060942-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Cecilia Sungmin Lee
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $3,299,595
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10452548

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10452548, Aging eyes and aging brains in studying alzheimer's disease: Modern ophthalmic data collection in the adult changes in thought (ACT) study (5R01AG060942-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10452548. Licensed CC0.

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