# Life Course Process of Alzheimer's Disease: Sex Difference and Biosocial Mechanisms

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $717,763

## Abstract

Abstract
The proposed research addresses two fundamental problems in population research on the Alzheimer's
disease (AD): (1) sex disparities in cognitive decline with aging, and (2) interplay of social and biological
pathways that generate and sustain AD disparities. Our proposal breaks new ground with an innovative life-
course research design that conjoins prospective cohort data from five large-scale NIH population-based
longitudinal studies that collectively cover the adult life span. We will conduct integrative data analysis in
response to an increased demand for replicability of scientific findings across independent studies and make
efficient use of extant resources in the pursuit of a cumulative science. We will apply novel statistical methods
to model longitudinal sex differences in age trajectories of cognitive functioning from young to late adulthood
and incidence of AD in old age. We will examine social and biological mechanisms influencing cognitive
trajectories and sex differences. Tested mechanisms will include social stress related to socioeconomic status
(SES) and social relationships, and biomarkers of cardiovascular, metabolic, neuroendocrine, and immune
pathways implicated in AD. We will also test and integrate new biological data on immune function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956958
- **Project number:** 5R01AG057800-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Yang Claire Yang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $717,763
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956958

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956958, Life Course Process of Alzheimer's Disease: Sex Difference and Biosocial Mechanisms (5R01AG057800-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956958. Licensed CC0.

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