# Effect of diabetes and AD pathology on brain imaging and cognition in Latino adults

> **NIH NIH RF1** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2022 · $3,755,733

## Abstract

Abstract
Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but the
mechanisms are not fully understood. To reduce the risk for cognitive decline in those with T2DM and to identify
possible intervention targets, it is imperative to understand how T2DM affects the brain and cognition. Our overall
goal is to gain an understanding of how metabolic and Alzheimer’s risk relate to brain measures and cognition
in 200 Northern American Latino middle-aged adults, an understudied group that is at higher risk for both T2DM
and AD compared with non-Latino Whites. We will: 1) Evaluate regional brain integrity (structural, functional, and
vascular) in those with and without T2DM and as related to metabolic blood markers and AD pathology risk as
indicated by plasma ptau181 level 2) Evaluate the changes in cerebral blood flow, vascular reactivity, and
functional connectivity between fasting baseline and 2 hours after 75 grams of glucose ingestion and relate those
changes to changes in metabolic markers to gain a mechanistic understanding of how metabolic risk affects the
brain’s functional and vascular response to glucose ingestion, and 3) Identify brain measures of neurovascular
function (cerebrovascular reactivity, functional connectivity, cerebral blood flow, and blood brain barrier
permeability) that predict cognitive decline and brain deficits over 2 years and investigate their relationship to
metabolic function and AD pathology. There are ongoing efforts to repurpose diabetes medications into cognition
clinical trials. Achieving our aims will provide insights into the mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in T2DM
patients with and without AD pathology, and provide brain imaging biomarkers to guide potential interventions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10503554
- **Project number:** 1RF1AG078362-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Borzage
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $3,755,733
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10503554

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10503554, Effect of diabetes and AD pathology on brain imaging and cognition in Latino adults (1RF1AG078362-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10503554. Licensed CC0.

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