# The role of PFAS in lipid-mediated vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia: PFAS VascCog Longitudinal Study

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $524,643

## Abstract

Project Summary
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a class of persistent organic pollutants found in furniture,
cookware, home décor, clothing, firefighting foam, food packaging, and contaminants in food and water. PFAS
are recognized as an environmental health priority by NIH due to their ubiquitous exposure, resistance to
environmental degradation, and bioaccumulation. Growing evidence of their effects on vascular risk factors (e.g.
hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes, hypertension) and neurotoxicity suggest that PFAS exposure increases
Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) risk, but empirical data are
limited, weak, and inconsistent. Prospective cohort studies linking PFAS and AD/ADRD, with adjudicated clinical
outcomes and control for confounding by diet and kidney function, are lacking. We propose to quantify the
concentrations of 13 ubiquitous PFAS in archived serum samples from two time points, and the total PFAS
exposure burden, in the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS, N=1290), an established (25+ year-long) multi-
ethnic longitudinal cohort. We hypothesize that PFAS exposure increases the risk of cognitive impairment and
AD/ADRD through a mechanistic pathway involving hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. PFAS are shown to alter
lipid metabolism. NOMAS data have demonstrated a strong relationship between lipids and atherosclerosis.
NOMAS participants had blood collected at baseline (1993-2001) and during follow-up (2003-2008), and annual
follow-up, with comprehensive data on sociodemographics, vascular events, medical history, medications, health
behaviors, diet, lipids, neural imaging, and a range of vascular risk factors. Participants had multiple
comprehensive neuropsychological assessments, with extensive adjudication to identify those who developed
AD/ADRD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). NOMAS is ideal due to the diverse population (60% Hispanic,
20% Black, 20% White) at high risk for AD/ADRD and prospectively followed for vascular and cognitive
outcomes. We will determine the associations between serum PFAS concentrations with comprehensive lipid
profiles, carotid atherosclerosis phenotypes (plaque, intima-media thickness, stiffness), and risk of incident
AD/ADRD and MCI, with the goal of identifying the impacts of PFAS on AD/ADRD, mediated through lipid
metabolism and atherosclerosis. We will identify key confounders (diet), mediators (vascular risk factors), and
effect modifiers (APOE4 genotype). The innovative strengths are the ability to fill important gaps related to the
effects of PFAS on adjudicated AD/ADRD, ability to examine race/ethnic disparities in the effects of PFAS, and
effect modification by APOE4, inclusion of a broad range of PFAS, and the interdisciplinary team with experience
in PFAS exposure analysis and neuroepidemiology, which will lay the foundation for targeted community-wide
preventive interventions. The data will provide crucial information on biological...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10856156
- **Project number:** 1R01AG086393-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Hannah Gardener
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $524,643
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-15 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10856156

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10856156, The role of PFAS in lipid-mediated vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia: PFAS VascCog Longitudinal Study (1R01AG086393-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10856156. Licensed CC0.

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