# Social Networks in Alzheimer Disease 2.0.

> **NIH NIH R37** · TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $782,817

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this renewal of the Social Networks and Alzheimer’s Disease study (R01 AG057739)
is to understand the social and biological mechanisms underlying the role of social connectedness
in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This
longitudinal study leverages a cohort of older adults with early stage ADRD, MCI, and age-
matched cognitively normal controls (N=609) established in 2015 and followed annually through
2023. The SNAD study features high dimensional characterization of personal social networks,
relationships, environments, and activities obtained via in-home interviews, integrating these data
with clinical consensus diagnosis, extensive cognitive testing, genotyping, and functional and
structural neuroimaging data collected annually through the NIA-sponsored Indiana Alzheimer’s
Disease Research Center. Findings from SNAD reveal robust and extensive cognitive and
neurological benefits of social bridging, or access to an expansive and diverse set of loosely
connected individuals. As a form of cognitive enrichment, social bridging may be protective of
cognitive decline through the development of cognitive reserve (CR), or cognitive adaptability that
buffers the impact of brain pathology on cognitive function. In addition to producing novel insights,
SNAD raised new research questions and revealed data limitations that necessitate a second
project period and additional longitudinal follow up. In the next phase of the study, we propose to
increase sample size and extend the follow-up period, increase racial and socioeconomic diversity
in the cohort, and collect additional data on stress exposures over the life course to test novel
mechanisms through stress pathways. Aim 1 is to conduct long-term follow-ups of the SNAD
cohort to examine longitudinal relationships between personal social network dynamics,
neurodegenerative changes, and clinical conversion to MCI or ADRD. Aim 2 is to diversify the
SNAD cohort to determine whether observed associations between social network characteristics
and clinical cognitive decline are replicable in communities at high risk for ADRD. Aim 3 is to
explore mediating and moderating relationships between social network characteristics, stress
exposures, and cognitive decline. The SNAD study is interdisciplinary, combining leading-edge
methods from the social and biomedical sciences, and leveraging the resources of funded centers
for ADRD, neuroimaging, and sociomedical sciences. By increasing our understanding of the links
between biological and social processes, this project may help identify novel targets for
intervention to reduce the burden of ADRD on individuals, families, and the health care system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11047330
- **Project number:** 2R37AG057739-06A1
- **Recipient organization:** TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Brea Louise Perry
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $782,817
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2018-09-15 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11047330

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11047330, Social Networks in Alzheimer Disease 2.0. (2R37AG057739-06A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11047330. Licensed CC0.

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