# Lifetime stressors and Alzheimer's Disease genetic variants and biomarkers in relation to cognitive decline among Black Women'sHealth Study participants.

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2024 · $2,320,702

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Older Black Americans have higher rates of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than their
White counterparts, a disparity that is greater for Black women. Given the lack of effective therapies to slow
disease progression and symptoms, effective prevention is needed. Most knowledge of risk factors for
cognitive decline, the hallmark feature of AD, comes from studies of White populations and the contribution of
racially/socially-patterned risk factors among Black adults remains under-studied. We propose to study 2,500
Black women ages 55 and older from the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a follow-up study of 59,000
Black women from across the US. Our goal is to identify social factors that, together with biomarkers of AD,
influence cognitive decline. The BWHS provides a unique opportunity to accomplish this goal. Over 27 years,
the BWHS has collected data through biennial questionnaires from participants on socioeconomic,
psychological, and physical stressors occurring at various times of life (e.g., low parental education, childhood
sexual/physical abuse, interpersonal racism), as well as information on many potential risk factors for AD and
cognitive decline (e.g., demographics, body size, behavioral factors (e.g., exercise, diet, smoking), medical
history, reproductive history, medication use, health care). The BWHS has collected and stored blood from a
large subsample of participants who agreed to wide sharing, such as GWAS results with other investigators
and public databases. After enrollment of 2,500 such participants with already-collected blood samples from
the BWHS, we propose to administer a validated telephone cognitive battery annually to measure cognition.
We will also measure a panel of AT(N) plasma biomarkers and conduct GWAS in order to examine the
associations of plasma biomarkers and genetic variants with cognitive decline. Based on the collected data
and the results from biomarker assessments, we will assess the joint effects of the stressors and biomarkers
on cognitive decline. A feasibility study demonstrated the willingness of BWHS participants to complete the
cognitive test battery over the telephone and indicated that enough BWHS participants will participate to reach
a study size of ~2,500 participants. The investigators have the experience and expertise to enroll participants;
measure cognition with a validated telephone cognitive battery; measure AT(N) biomarkers in stored plasma
and conduct GWAS; and with these data, to assess their separate and joint effects on cognitive decline. The
proposed study provides an unparalleled opportunity to leverage a large national sample of older Black women
on which comprehensive data on many factors that affect cognition have been collected to identify life-course
risk factors for cognitive decline. The findings will have important translational implications for efforts to prevent
cognitive decline in all populations, but especially in Black women who are dis...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10807212
- **Project number:** 1R01AG082046-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Lisa L Barnes
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $2,320,702
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-02-15 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10807212

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10807212, Lifetime stressors and Alzheimer's Disease genetic variants and biomarkers in relation to cognitive decline among Black Women'sHealth Study participants. (1R01AG082046-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10807212. Licensed CC0.

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