# Brain Connectomics of Cognitive Aging and Vulnerability to Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2024 · $1

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this career development award is to provide me with the training necessary to develop an
independent aging research program focusing on neuroimaging biomarkers and socioeconomic risk factors
associated with differential aging trajectories and vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with the long-term
goal of informing and improving risk prediction for AD and potential interventions and treatment to reduce AD
risk. To achieve these goals, I propose to examine how alterations of brain functional and structural
connectomes underlie cognitive aging and its longitudinal trajectories, and contribute to individual vulnerability
to AD in cognitively normal individuals. Moreover, I propose to investigate how socioeconomic status may
modulate the associations of brain connectomes with cognitive aging and risk for AD. My training to date has
provided me with a strong methodological and theoretical foundation in cognitive neuroscience and
neuroimaging, and advanced computational analyses to examine brain connectomes. My proposed training
plan complements my existing expertise by providing training in the study of cognitive and brain aging,
socioeconomic risk factors and biological processes and markers associated with aging and AD. Completion of
the proposed research and training will enable my transition to independence and allow me to build an
interdisciplinary aging research program that integrates neuroimaging, cognitive, and biological assessments.
Research Project: Converging evidence has shown that connectivity and topological properties of brain
connectomes underpin cognitive aging and contribute to the accumulation and spreading of AD pathologies.
However, connectome-based (i.e., connectomic) biomarkers of cognitive aging trajectories have not been
characterized in large-scale longitudinal studies, especially with regard to their potential in indexing early
vulnerability to AD in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Moreover, there has been a lack of research on these
topics in socially disadvantaged groups with high AD prevalence. The proposed project will address these
critical research gaps using two large-scale longitudinal studies with cognitive, neuroimaging, and biological
measures: Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities and Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. Specifically,
I will examine whether longitudinal changes in brain connectomes are associated with changes in multiple
cognitive domains, serving as putative connectomic biomarkers of cognitive aging trajectories (Aim 1). I will
then examine whether longitudinal changes in brain connectomes are associated with changes in levels of AD-
related pathologies as measured from PET and plasma (Aim 2). Finally, I will examine whether low
socioeconomic status (SES), an indicator of social disadvantage, modulates the associations between brain
connectomes, cognition, and AD-related pathologies (Aim 3). The project will inform efforts aimed at
establishing neuro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10783589
- **Project number:** 1K01AG084815-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** RONGXIANG TANG
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-15 → 2024-08-16

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10783589

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10783589, Brain Connectomics of Cognitive Aging and Vulnerability to Alzheimer's Disease (1K01AG084815-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10783589. Licensed CC0.

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