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AD-Related Dementias Focus
Conduct clinical studies on approved or promising interventions and treatments to mitigate risk for cognitive decline.
2030 RFA-NS-19-012: Post-Stroke Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) in the United States Including in Health Disparities Populations (U19) RFA-NS-23-017: Optimization of Genome Editing Therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (U01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) PAR-23-195: Simultaneous and Synergistic Multi-Target Validation for Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (R61/R33 Clinical Trial not allowed) PAR-24-198: Protective Strategies to Reduce Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA) After Anti-Amyloid Beta Immunotherapy (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-NS-24-013: Efficacy and Safety of Amyloid-Beta Directed Antibody Therapy in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia with Evidence of Both Amyloid-Beta and Vascular Pathology (U01 - Clinical Trial Required) RFA-NS-25-010: Safety and Efficacy of Amyloid-Beta Directed Antibody Therapy in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia with Evidence of Lewy Body Dementia and Amyloid-Beta Pathology (U01 - Clinical Trial Required) 11.L In Progress Intervention studies to investigate reversible causes of dementia. DN 2019 ADRD Summit: Multiple Etiology Dementias (MED), Focus Area 1: Improving Detection and Diagnostic Skills in the Community, Milestone 5 2022 ADRD Summit: Multiple Etiology Dementias (MED) Milestone 5, Priority 1 NIA blog: Tools for earlier detection of cognitive impairment and dementia Physical activity associated with slower cognitive decline in people with high levels of tau protein Workshop: Anti-Beta-Amyloid Passive Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s Dementia and Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA): What’s Next? Enabling Technologies and Disease Monitoring Diverse VCID: White Matter Lesion Etiology of Dementia in Diverse Populations Commercialization of Selective Dyrk1a Inhibitors for Down Syndrome Mind Your Risks
- Initiate at least one real-world clinical practice setting study on approved or promising interventions and treatments in hospital and community-based settings that targets risk factors for cognitive decline.
- Establish a national research consortium to develop, test, refine, implement, and disseminate best practices for determining whether reversible risks and causes of cognitive dysfunction are present in an individual, and how to facilitate successful intervention.
Summary of Key Accomplishments
Several ongoing NIH-funded research studies are assessing non-pharmacologic interventions to reduce the risk of developing AD/ADRDs, including multi-component interventions that target lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, cognitive training, and blood pressure control. For example, the U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER), primarily funded by the Alzheimer's Association and also supplemented with NIA funding, is a clinical trial to evaluate whether lifestyle interventions that simultaneously target many risk factors protect cognitive function in older adults who are at increased risk for cognitive decline (https://alz.org/us-pointer/overview.asp); estimated completion is December 2024. The NINDS's Mind Your Risks campaign is directly focused on educating and empowering individuals with, or at risk of, high blood pressure to take control of their health and lower their risk of having a stroke or developing dementia later in life. Materials are being developed that can be used in clinical care settings to help individuals and clinicians talk about how risky high-blood pressure can be controlled and monitored.
The key accomplishments summary is current as of July 2022.