# Longitudinal associations between neighborhood greenspace and brain aging in cognitively normal older adults

> **NIH NIH K01** · FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $126,414

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
No treatments are available to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, which currently affects 5.8 million Americans.
Alzheimer’s risk can be reduced through healthy diets, stress reduction and physical activity, yet maintaining
these can be difficult in practice due to cost and low motivation. Addressing these barriers, urban planning and
public health researchers have evidenced neighborhood characteristics that promote health by offering
amenities encouraging health behaviors such as walking. Greenspace (public and private areas with
vegetation) is one such neighborhood feature previously associated with reduced Alzheimer’s risk and slower
cognitive decline in the few published studies to date. Dr. Besser’s short-term research goal is to advance the
research on this topic, to assess if neighborhood greenspace is associated with brain aging in older adults. The
K01 specific aims are to determine if living in neighborhoods with greater vegetation and better access to parks
in early, mid, and late-life is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and less brain atrophy in
cognitively normal older adults, and whether these associations vary by sex, race, apolipoprotein E genotype
(genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease), and geographic region. This longitudinal, observational study will
combine clinical and brain volume data from three Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, a mailed questionnaire, and
neighborhood greenspace measures derived using geographic information systems. Outcome variables will
include cognitive domain (episodic memory, language, attention, executive function) and brain volume
measures (hippocampal volume, white matter hyperintensities). Multi-level linear mixed models will account for
neighborhood clustering and control for confounders (e.g., demographics, neighborhood socioeconomic
status). The parallel career development plan involves: 1) learning to develop key neighborhood built
environment and brain aging measures; 2) advancing and developing specialized primary data collection skills;
3) gaining knowledge in the biology and epidemiology of aging and cognitive neuroscience; 4) preparing and
submitting the first R01 proposal; and 5) cultivating multidisciplinary collaborations. Dr. Besser’s institution,
Florida Atlantic University, offers a highly supportive environment with all of the necessary faculty, teaching,
financial, and research supports and rich opportunities for multidisciplinary and collaborative research. The
primary mentor and co-mentor are experts in their respective fields of neurology/aging research and urban and
regional planning. Dr. Besser’s institutional environment, career development plan, and specific aims are
ideally suited to enable her long-term goal to become an expert and independent research scientist with an
established, innovative, R01-funded research program focused on neighborhood built environments to support
healthy brain aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9976690
- **Project number:** 1K01AG063895-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lilah Besser
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $126,414
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-15 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9976690

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9976690, Longitudinal associations between neighborhood greenspace and brain aging in cognitively normal older adults (1K01AG063895-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9976690. Licensed CC0.

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