# Child Maltreatment and Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE · 2020 · $1,876,994

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
Early life adversities have been associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including risk for mild cognitive
impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, knowledge about the relationship between
childhood adversities – particularly child abuse and neglect – and cognitive decline and functioning in
adulthood is limited. Existing research relies heavily on cross-sectional studies and retrospective self-reports
of childhood maltreatment. While the results of these studies are suggestive, conclusive evidence linking
verified child maltreatment and cognitive decline and AD does not exist, a significant gap in the literature.
Reliance on retrospective self-reports, particularly with an aging or aged population, leads to questions about
the reliability and validity of that information. The proposed research seeks to: (1) determine whether cognitive
decline is more rapid in adults with documented maltreatment histories and whether they are at increased risk
for MCI and AD; (2) examine two hypothesized pathways from child maltreatment to increased risk for MCI/AD
through (a) physical health and psychosocial risk factors and (b) biological markers; (3) examine potential
modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors that may protect maltreated children from risk for MCI/AD; and (4)
compare risk for MCI/AD using both prospective and retrospective reports of child maltreatment and determine
the reliability and validity of retrospective reports in an aging sample. Capitalizing on a unique prospective
longitudinal study, the proposed research will use existing and newly collected data from a large sample of
well-characterized, high-risk individuals that have been studied for over 30 years. This research has a number
of important methodological advantages that overcome many of the limitations of previous research; (1) long
term follow-up (estimated mean age 59 in 2020); (2) documented cases of child abuse and neglect; (3) a
control group of children who were matched to the documented cases on the basis of age, sex, race/ethnicity,
and approximate family social class at the time of the childhood abuse and neglect; (4) high rates of known risk
factors for MCI/AD in both groups; (5) prospective longitudinal design that permits disentangling of issues of
etiology and temporal sequence; (6) a diverse sample, including males, females, Blacks, and Whites; (7)
participants and interviewers have been blinded to the purpose of the study, avoiding issues of bias; and (8)
data on mediators has already been collected over several time points. The new data collection will include a
neuropsychological battery using components of the NIH toolbox and NACC Uniform Data Set, a blood draw to
determine APOE ε4 allele, epigenetic age, telomere length and immune function, assessment of attitudes
towards aging and re-assessment of previous indicators, and retrospective self-reports of child maltreatment.
The proposed research is more cost effectiv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9967970
- **Project number:** 5R01AG058683-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
- **Principal Investigator:** CATHY SPATZ WIDOM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,876,994
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-30 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9967970

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9967970, Child Maltreatment and Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease (5R01AG058683-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9967970. Licensed CC0.

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