# Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $413,443

## Abstract

Project Summary
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disorder among the elderly population. Recent studies with large sample
sizes found that knee OA was associated with a significantly increased risk for dementia. Nevertheless, the
reason why knee OA is associated with increased dementia risk remains unknown. Recent evidence
suggested that dysfunction of the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system and neuroinflammation mediate both
chronic pain and cognition/memory; therefore, these factors may play a significant role in the accelerated
cognitive decline in individuals with knee OA.
Taking advantage of the recently funded NCCIH/NIH project (R01AT012173-01A1) on brain mechanisms of
mind-body and neuromodulation treatment of knee OA, this ancillary application aims to expand our research
on mechanisms underlying accelerated cognitive decline in people with knee OA. Specifically, with the support
of new funding, we will 1) add a cohort of pain-free individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and a
cohort of pain-free controls who do not have MCI (25 in each group); 2) collect blood samples to assess
inflammation markers; and 3) add cognitive measurements to assess the cognitive function of the knee OA
patients and new cohorts of participants. With newly collected data, we will 1) investigate the functional and
structural changes in the brain associated with the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system in MCI (individuals
with MCI vs. controls) and knee OA (individuals with knee OA vs. pain-free controls) and identify the common
functional and structural changes associated with MCI and knee OA; 2) investigate the inflammation markers
associated with MCI and knee OA; and 3) explore the association between inflammation markers, brain
function and structure, and cognitive function as well as the modulation effect of alternative treatments on the
above measurements.
Relevance to Alzheimer’s disease and/or its Related Dementia and

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10938497
- **Project number:** 3R01AT012173-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** JIAN KONG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $413,443
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-12-01 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10938497

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10938497, Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) (3R01AT012173-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10938497. Licensed CC0.

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