# The Beaver Dam Offspring Study Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS)-A Study on the Role of Accelerated Aging and Midlife Sensory Decline for Early Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia in Later Life

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $725,856

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this epidemiologic study is to determine if sensory changes (hearing, vision, olfaction) and an
emerging biomarker of aging (PhenoAge) measured in midlife are strong predictors of long-term risk for early
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and to study the shared etiology of co-occurring sensory
and cognitive changes. Subjects are previous participants in a prospective longitudinal cohort study, the
Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS) and were 21-84 years of age at the baseline examination (2005-2008).
The proposed study (BOSS–Neurocognitive Aging Study) will apply standardized protocols used in the BOSS
baseline, 5-year and 10-year follow-up examinations including a hearing evaluation (otoscopy, audiometry and
word recognition in quiet and in competing message), eye examination (refraction, visual acuity and contrast
sensitivity) and olfaction testing (San Diego Odor Identification Test) and conduct an extended cognitive test
battery (Trail Making Test, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test,
Digit Span, Stroop Test, Mini-Mental State Examination). We will further enhance the evaluation of early ADRD
status by incorporating medical records, caregiver interviews and blood-based biomarkers of AD and
neurodegeneration (amyloid b40, amyloid b42, total Tau and phosphorylated Tau) in a clinical review that will
be conducted by a multidisciplinary neurocognitive expert panel in a diagnosis consensus conference.
Cardiovascular risk factors will be assessed and standardized questionnaires on medical history, medication
usage and lifestyle and environmental factors will be completed. We will measure longitudinal changes in
PhenoAge using new and stored baseline blood samples. The proposed epidemiological study will provide
important information about early biomarkers for the risk of developing cognitive decline and early ADRD and
will inform about relationships between changes in sensory and cognitive function. This will contribute to
developing clinically useful methods to identify high-risk people in midlife and to understanding the shared
etiologies of sensory and cognitive changes. This project’s results will inform about potential pathways for
prevention of ADRD and the promotion of healthy brain aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10850907
- **Project number:** 5R01AG079289-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Natascha Merten
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $725,856
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10850907

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10850907, The Beaver Dam Offspring Study Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS)-A Study on the Role of Accelerated Aging and Midlife Sensory Decline for Early Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia in Later Life (5R01AG079289-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10850907. Licensed CC0.

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