# Contributions of modifiable physical attributes to cognitive and brain aging

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $640,594

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
With the rapid acceleration of the aging population and repeated failures to find a pharmacological cure for
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is of paramount importance to identify modifiable physical attributes that are most
likely to attenuate cognitive and neural decline in older adults. Individual studies have demonstrated that
mobility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength/power are associated with cognition among older
adults. However, because these physical attributes have been studied in isolation, it remains unknown which of
these attributes are most critical for successful cognitive aging and brain maintenance (keeping the brain
young). Our long-term goal is to develop a precision medicine model of cognitive aging; that is, to identify
which physical attributes are associated with specific cognitive functions and implement individually tailored
exercise programs to optimize those cognitive abilities among older adults. Our overall objective in the current
proposal is to directly examine differential contributions of mobility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle
strength/power metrics to current cognitive abilities, brain health, and longitudinal cognitive decline. Our central
hypothesis is that these physical attributes account for unique variance in cognition, but that their relative
predictive abilities will differ within specific cognitive domains and neural networks. Using gold-standard
assessments of mobility, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength/power, cognition, and brain structure and
function (magnetic resonance imaging; MRI) in young, middle-aged, and older adults, we will pursue the
following aims: 1) Determine the contribution of physical attributes to cognition, with a specific emphasis on
episodic memory and executive function, among older adults. 2) Determine the contribution of physical
attributes to cortical thickness (T1-weighted MRI), white matter microstructure (diffusion-weighted MRI) and
brain function (functional MRI) among older adults. 3) Identify which physical attributes predict cognitive
decline over a 2.5-year period in older adults and whether polygenic risk scores for AD moderate the
association between physical attributes and cognitive decline. We will examine which modifiable physical
attributes, including functional aspects of the motor system, predict cognitive decline among older adults.
Outcome data from this proposal will impact the development of lifestyle interventions for optimization of
cognitive performance among older adults, as the study will provide critical knowledge to optimize future
exercise intervention studies aimed at mitigating age- and Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive and neural
decline. Moreover, we will examine whether physical attribute-brain-cognition associations are age dependent.
The current proposal is well-suited for the mission of the National Institutes of Aging, as we propose to
examine modifiable physical attributes that will maximize high qu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10837835
- **Project number:** 5R01AG068882-04
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SCOTT M HAYES
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $640,594
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-05-15 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10837835

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10837835, Contributions of modifiable physical attributes to cognitive and brain aging (5R01AG068882-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10837835. Licensed CC0.

---

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