# Measurement of Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Sensory Loss

> **NIH NIH R21** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $245,625

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The goal of the proposed project is to determine if estimates of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease
and related dementias (ADRD) are biased among older adults with hearing or vision impairment. The impact of
this this potential bias could be significant, as over 55% of Americans 60 years and older have either hearing
or vision impairment. The specific aims of this research are to: (1) Identify and adjust for potential bias in
estimates of cognitive function due to hearing or vision impairment, and (2) Quantify the across-study variation
in methods used to collect and analyze cognitive data in older adults with hearing or vision loss. For aim 1,
data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities
Study (ARIC) will be used, as both studies used standard measures of hearing, vision, and cognition. Analyses
will use cross-sectional data and an item response theory (IRT) modeling approach to: (1) disentangle the true
effect of sensory impairment on cognitive function from the potential bias that sensory impairment may have on
cognitive test performance; and (2) if present, correct for this potential bias and re-estimate cognitive
impairment and ADRD prevalence. This aim will test the hypothesis that, after accounting for the level of
cognitive ability (indexed using historical, longitudinal cognitive test data assessed in the BLSA and ARIC in
years prior to the development of sensory impairment), older adults with hearing impairment systematically
perform worse on cognitive tests that rely on hearing stimuli, and that older adults with vision impairment
systematically perform worse on cognitive tests that rely or vision stimuli, compared to participants without
these impairments. Aim 2 includes three steps: (1) Systematically identifying longitudinal cohort studies of
older adults that collect cognitive testing data; (2) Administering a survey collecting information on study
protocols and perform protocol abstraction to assess how cognitive function is measured and analyzed in older
adults with sensory loss; and (3) Comparing the data abstracted from these protocols to assess the variation
across studies in: (a) the assessment of hearing or vision, (b) exclusions from cognitive testing and analyses
based on sensory impairment, (c) accommodations for sensory loss made during cognitive testing, and (d)
adjustment for sensory loss in the analysis of cognitive data. We hypothesize that fewer than 50% of cohort
studies surveyed use protocols for collecting and analyzing cognitive data in older adults with hearing or vision
loss. The overall results of this project have crosscutting impact, as correct estimates of the prevalence and
incidence of ADRD are paramount for public health planning, and etiologic research aimed at identifying
approaches to reduce ADRD risk. This work will support: (1) a U13 to develop standard protocols/tools for
collecting and analyzing cognitive data in older a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9901422
- **Project number:** 5R21AG060243-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Anne Deal
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $245,625
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9901422

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9901422, Measurement of Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Sensory Loss (5R21AG060243-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9901422. Licensed CC0.

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