# Sleep Health and Cognitive Function among Middle-aged Adults: the SleepCog Study

> **NIH NIH K23** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $191,700

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Dr. Minjee Kim is a practicing neurologist with expertise in sleep research and clinical assessment of cognitive
impairment (CI). Her long-term goal is to become an independent investigator studying: (1) the role of sleep as
a potentially modifiable determinant of CI, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD); (2) the design of
health system interventions for the early detection and treatment of sleep disturbance (SD) to mitigate CI/ADRD
risk. The career development plan proposes to fill critical gaps in her skills through formal and informal training
in aging research, data science, and health system interventions. This award will ensure she has the knowledge,
skills, and experience to conduct in-depth investigations, lead pragmatic clinical trials, and translate research
findings into routine clinical care. Dr. Kim has convened an outstanding mentoring team with complementary
expertise in sleep, cognitive aging, health system interventions, pragmatic trials, data science, biostatistics, and
primary care. Northwestern University offers Dr. Kim an exceptional environment, with dedicated resources from
the Department of Neurology, Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Center for Applied Health Research on
Aging, Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, and Clinical and Translational Sciences
Institute to support her research, career development, and transition to independent clinical investigation.
 SD refers to manifestations of poor sleep health, including inadequate duration, inappropriate timing, irregular
pattern, low efficiency, unsatisfactory quality, and daytime sleepiness. Many forms of SD can be effectively
addressed in primary care, yet SD remains largely undetected in clinical settings. SD is common in later life and
has been linked to CI/ADRD risk. Yet less is known about SD in middle age (MA). As clinically meaningful
cognitive decline is believed to present during MA, more research is needed that examines midlife determinants
of cognitive decline that could be targets of interventions. If identified early, SD in midlife may be modifiable with
immediate benefits on physical and mental health, and might possibly reduce later life risk of CI/ADRD.
 To address this, Dr. Kim has added new sleep measures (actigraphy, sleep diary, questionnaires) to a new
NIA cohort study investigating cognitive function among middle-aged adults (‘MidCog’; PI: Wolf) explicitly for
this proposal. Leveraging the MidCog study and linked electronic health records (EHR) data, Dr. Kim will
investigate associations between SD, cognitive function, self-care capacity, and health status (Aim 1), and then
apply machine learning to develop SD prediction models from EHR data (Aim 2). In Aim 3, Dr. Kim will adapt
and pilot test an EHR-embedded primary care strategy for routine detection of SD, guided by the SD prediction
model. Fidelity and preliminary efficacy outcomes will be captured via the EHR, providing preliminary d...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10948694
- **Project number:** 1K23AG088497-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Minjee Kim
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $191,700
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-15 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10948694

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10948694, Sleep Health and Cognitive Function among Middle-aged Adults: the SleepCog Study (1K23AG088497-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-13 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10948694. Licensed CC0.

---

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