Thursday, July 3, 2025 7/3/2025

Neural and Biochemical Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging

Award Number: R01AG034570
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2009
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2029

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Neural and Biochemical Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This project is aimed at understanding the processes that drive decline in cognitive function with aging. Over the past decade it has become increasingly clear that many normal individuals often harbor the pathology that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD): β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and pathological accumulation of the microtubule associated protein tau. With the ability to detect and track these pathologies during life using multiple techniques including positron emission tomography (PET), we have learned that Aβ and tau pathology are associated with, and can predict decline in cognition, particularly episodic memory (EM), in otherwise cognitively normal people. Nevertheless, there is considerable variability associated with how individuals respond to AD pathology. Some show resilience: that is, they do not display impairment in EM despite evidence of pathology, while others may demonstrate resistance: they do not show evidence of pathology when existing group level data predicts its occurrence. The next phase of this project is oriented towards understanding how some people show successful aging outcomes despite the presence of AD pathology or show lower levels of pathology then expected. We will begin by defining two groups of successful agers from the Berkeley Aging Cohort Study (BACS) who have 3 or more longitudinal visits. The first definition makes use of a widely applied approach to select individuals performing at high levels in cross sectional cognitive measures. We refer to these as exceptional agers (EA) and will use a novel method deploying machine learning to predict “cognitive age” from a battery of neuropsychological tests. Those who fall in the “youngest” 20 percent of the cognitive age gap (CAG – difference between actual and predicted age) are defined as EA. Second, we will use a novel approach to define successful agers as those who show maintenance of EM performance over time, that is a slope of 0 or above on an EM composite measured at 3 or more timepoints. All of these individuals will receive longitudinal neuropsychological testing and PET scanning for AD pathology: Aβ PET with [11C]PIB and tau PET with [18F]Flortaucipir. At the first visit in this grant phase, participants will have an added PET scan to measure synaptic density with the ligand [18F]SynVesT1 that binds to the synaptic vesicle 2A protein. Based on extensive preliminary data, we predict that several different mechanisms underlie successful aging outcomes despite AD pathology: (1) Thicker mid-cingulate cortex will confer resilience to the effects of tau on EM decline (2) Successful agers will show less tau pathology and slower rates of Aβ and tau deposition because they are in earlier stages of Aβ deposition and (3) synaptic density in successful agers will be greater in specific brain regions including prefrontal cortex and mid-cingulate cortex and this will also confer resilience to AD pathology.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	11	11/26/2024	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $879,425 )
2024	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	001	11	9/25/2024	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$900,116
2024	2020	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	10	2/8/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$20,691
														Subtotal = $879,425

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	10	7/11/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $841,951 )
2020	2020	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	10	6/12/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$841,951
														Subtotal = $841,951

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $843,745 )
2019	2019	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	9	5/23/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$843,745
														Subtotal = $843,745

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $845,231 )
2018	2018	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	8	5/21/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$845,231
														Subtotal = $845,231

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $846,820 )
2017	2017	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	002	7	6/19/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$846,820
2017	2016	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	001	6	1/31/2017	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$3,430
2017	2013	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE	1 CYCLOTRON RD	BERKELEY	CA	94720	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	5	1/31/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$3,430
														Subtotal = $846,820

Issue Date FY: 2016 ( Subtotal = $848,768 )
2016	2016	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	6	8/30/2016	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$848,768
														Subtotal = $848,768

Issue Date FY: 2015 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2015	2013	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	5	8/20/2015	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2013 ( Subtotal = $611,278 )
2013	2013	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	5	8/26/2013	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$611,278
														Subtotal = $611,278

Issue Date FY: 2012 ( Subtotal = $648,256 )
2012	2012	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	4	8/16/2012	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$648,256
														Subtotal = $648,256

Issue Date FY: 2011 ( Subtotal = $649,359 )
2011	2011	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	3	8/8/2011	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$649,359
														Subtotal = $649,359

Issue Date FY: 2010 ( Subtotal = $659,774 )
2010	2010	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	2	8/19/2010	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$659,774
														Subtotal = $659,774

Issue Date FY: 2009 ( Subtotal = $646,484 )
2009	2009	LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY	POST OFFICE BOX 528	BERKELEY	CA	94701	ALAMEDA	USA	Aging Research	000	1	9/9/2009	NEW	$646,484
														Subtotal = $646,484

Grand Total All Awards = $8,321,091

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Neural and Biochemical Mechanisms of Cognitive Aging

Award Number: R01AG034570

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2009

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2029

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer