# Estimating the treatment effect of cardiovascular medications to modify the risk for future cognitive decline in older adults

> **NIH NIH K76** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $243,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Candidate: I aspire to become an independent clinician-investigator working at the intersection of
cardiovascular disease and aging, focused on the impact of cardiovascular treatments on cognition, function,
and global quality of life in older adults. My clinical expertise as an interventional cardiologist combined with my
research training through my Master’s in Health Sciences and Clinical Research have positioned me to
accomplish this goal. I have a track record of success and independent funding for my aging research through
a GEMSSTAR award, two Pepper Center grants, and a PCORI Healthy Aging award.
Mentors and Environment: This project will be supported by a world-class mentorship team, including Dr.
Thomas Gill (Geriatrics), a global leader in randomized trials in older adults and Director of the Yale Program
on Aging (PoA) and Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC), as well as co-mentors
Dr. Eric Velazquez (Cardiology), an internationally recognized cardiovascular trialist and Chief of the Yale Heart
& Vascular Center, and Dr. Jeff Williamson (Geriatrics, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)),
an expert in brain health and physical function in older adults and PI of the SPRINT MIND and PREVENTABLE
trials. My advisory team includes experts in biostatistics, analytical sciences, randomized trial design, the study
of ADRD and the heart-brain continuum. We have constructed a comprehensive career development plan that
will leverage the infrastructure of the Yale PoA/OAIC, the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC),
the Duke-UNC ADRC, national educational resources for ADRD-related research, and leadership training. The
combined support of the Yale School of Medicine PoA/OAIC, ADRC, and sections of Geriatrics & Cardiology,
and my external collaborators, will catalyze my successful career development and completion of the proposed
research plan.
Mentored Research Project: Older adults with cardiovascular disease frequently cite maintenance of
cognitive function as their top health priority. Recent randomized trials have begun to investigate whether
commonly used cardiovascular treatments can modify the risk of developing cognitive impairment or dementia.
Stable ischemic heart disease is one of the most commonly treated conditions impacting older adults, with
beta-blockers & calcium channel blockers considered the two first-line anti-anginal treatments. To date, these
agents have not been adequately tested in older populations and their long-term effect on cognitive
outcomes is unknown. We will leverage existing longitudinal data from the SPRINT MIND trial as well as
prospective randomized trial data from the PCORI-sponsored LIVEBETTER trial to rigorously evaluate the
effect of these two commonly used medication classes on cognitive status over time, mild cognitive
impairment, and the incidence of dementia among older adults.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10973109
- **Project number:** 1K76AG088428-01
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael Nanna
- **Activity code:** K76 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $243,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10973109

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10973109, Estimating the treatment effect of cardiovascular medications to modify the risk for future cognitive decline in older adults (1K76AG088428-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10973109. Licensed CC0.

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