Research - eBrain - Epidemiology of Brain Resilience to Aging

eBRAIN Studies

Research

Focusing on the application of epidemiology methods and cutting-edge neuroimaging methodologies in population and clinical studies to enhance etiological research and evaluation of specific therapies in the disorders of the central nervous system.

Longitudinal Examination of Neighborhood Disadvantage, Cognitive Aging, and Alzheimer's Disease Risk in Disinvested, African American Neighborhoods

2022–2027
R01AG072652, NIA
Andrea Rosso (MPI)

African Americans (AAs) have significantly higher rates and earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) relative to White Americans; however, we lack a thorough understanding of how individual and neighborhood factors and their changes over the lifecourse contribute to ADRD risk in AAs. The current proposal capitalizes on an ongoing, longitudinal study to examine the impact of changing neighborhood conditions and the role of risk and protective factors in the lived experience of AAs and their influence on cognitive function and ADRD risk.

Neurobiological Drivers of Mobility Resilience: the Dopaminergic System

2018–2023
U01AG061393, NIA
Caterina Rosano (MPI)
Andrea Rosso (Co-Investigator)

This is a longitudinal study to test the hypothesis that the striatal dopaminergic (DA) system provides resilience against the detrimental effects of common locomotor risk factors, via its connections with sensorimotor networks, thus favoring automated motor control and less engagement of attentional and prefrontal resources; we also propose a small translational study to collect pilot data on L-DOPA related changes in sensorimotor DA networks and gait.

Population Neuroscience of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (PNA)

2018–2023
Grant T32AG055381
Caterina Rosano (MPI)
Mary Ganguli (MPI)

The objective of this 5 year pre- and post-doctoral training program is to train highly talented individuals to pursue successful independent research in the etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and other age-related dementia (ADRD). Eligible applicants are PhD graduates or candidates in Epidemiology, Neuroscience, Information Science, Biostatistics, Biomedical informatics and MD/DO graduates with training in Neurology, Psychiatry, Geriatric medicine, and related disciplines.

Pittsburgh Older American Independence Center

2020–2025
P30 AG024827-06, NIA
Susan Greenspan (PI)
Caterina Rosano (Core Leader)

This Core is responsible for providing access to cutting-edge methodologies to study causes and determinants of mobility limitations, developing new assessment protocols, and supporting recruitment, retention and research training.

Neurovascular Determinants of Cognitive Function in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

2016–2021
R01HL127107
Enrico Novelli (PI)
Caterina Rosano (Co-Investigator)

This project is also highly innovative because it tests a new paradigm of microvascular dysfunction-related CI in SCD with state-of-the-art technology. Our scientific questions are articulated into two aims, Aim1, cross-sectional and Aim 2, longitudinal.

Restoring Central Motor Control to Improve Community Mobility of Older Adults

2018–2022
1 R01 AG057671-01A1, NIA/NINR
Andrea Rosso (PI)
Caterina Rosano (Co-Investigator)

The results of this study will provide evidence of the extent to which Motor Skill Training can improve real world measures of community mobility, quantify the contribution from restoration of central motor control, and identify the influence from other characteristics of the person and their environment.

Locomotor Adaptability for Community Mobility of Older Adults: The Role of Gait Automaticity

2020–2022
Pitt Momentum Funds
Andrea Rosso (Co-Investigator)

Exposure to split-belt walking, in which legs move at different speeds, improves locomotor adaptability in older adults, but the underlying mechanisms of these improvements are unknown. Extent of gait automaticity may be an important neural mechanism of locomotor adaptability. We will also determine cognitive correlates of locomotor adaptability and whether improving locomotor adaptability changes mobility outcomes.

Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia Among Older Chinese Immigrants: The Role of Activity, Engagement, Immigration Experience, and Neighborhood Environments

2020–2024
1R01AG067548-01
Fengyan Tang (PI)
Andrea Rosso (Co-Investigator)

This project will conduct the first comprehensive epidemiological study to investigate change trajectories of cognitive function and the preventive effects of activity engagement profiles, examining the risk and protective factors associated with immigration experience and neighborhood contexts in the aging Chinese immigrant population.

Environmental Challenges and the Aging Brain: Implications for Community Mobility

2016–2022
1K01AG053431-01, NIA
Andrea Rosso (PI)

This career development award proposes to assess age-related changes in the brain that may be a key determinant of the ability to remain mobile in complex community environments through utilization of a study design that incorporates community-based environmental challenges and real-time functional brain imaging while participants are walking.

Neighborhoods, Cognitive Aging and Modifiable Risk Factors

2018–2022
1R01AG055404-01A1, NIA
Michelle Carlson (PI)
Andrea Rosso (Co-Investigator)

Long-term exposure to neighborhood disadvantage may serve as a common cause of individual risk factors and neurocognitive and functional health, particularly in groups at elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease. We will examine the influence of a range of neighborhood factors on long-term trajectories of cognitive and functional aging prior to the onset of AD in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

ADRD Supplement: Urban Revitalization and Long-term Effects on Diet, Economic, and Health Outcomes

2018–2021
R01 CA149105-07S1, NIA
Tamara Dubowitz (PI)
Andrea Rosso (Co-Investigator)

This supplement will add measures of cognitive function and clinically adjudicated Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease to our ongoing NCI-funded study that is following a cohort of mid- to late-life African Americans residing in two low-income neighborhoods.

ADRD Supplement: Natural Experiment of Neighborhood Revitalization and Cardiometabolic Health

2018–2021
R01 HL131531-03S1, NIA
Wendy Troxel (MPI)
Tiffany Gary-Webb (MPI)
Andrea Rosso (Co-Investigator)

This study will add cognitive assessments to an ongoing NHLBI-funded study (HL131531) which is following a sample of low- income, mid- to late- life African American residents. Understanding the impact of cumulative, race-relevant stressors on cognitive outcomes is critical in order to identify individual and policy-level interventions to mitigate pervasive racial/ ethnic disparities in dementia and poor cognitive functioning in late life.

Cognitive Decline, Brain Aging, Physical Environment, and Mobility

2016–2018
R21 AG054666-01, NIA
Andrea Rosso (PI)

This proposal aims to understand better the environmental contributors to mobility limitations that could be the target of future population-level prevention strategies. In particular, we aim to understand how age-related cognitive declines can make some individuals more vulnerable to the mobility-limiting aspects of their environments.

Identification of Factors Associated with Subsequent Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis Using Machine Learning Over Complex Large-scale Longitudinal Health Data

2020–2021
Momentum Funds Teaming Grant
University of Pittsburgh Senior Vice Chancellor’s Office
Richard Boyce (PI)
Beth Shaaban (Co-Investigator)

The aim of this project is to identify antecedents of Alzheimer’s disease in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center electronic health records, which warrant additional scrutiny as possible risk or protective protectors for disease onset using case-control and machine learning study designs and incorporating graphical causal models.

Pathways of Beneficial Effects of a Physical Activity Intervention on Hippocampal Atrophy Among Older Adults

2016–2018
F31AG054084, NIA
Beth Shaaban (PI)

This award funded my final two years of doctoral epidemiology training to develop expertise in the promotion of neurovascular integrity for the prevention of cognitive decline and disorders in very old adults. This research evaluated the pathways by which physical activity impacts the hippocampus and cerebral small vein integrity of older adults.

Ultra-high-field Neuroimaging in Elderly After a Two-year Exercise Intervention

2014–2018
1 R01 AG044474-04, NIA
Caterina Rosano (PI)
Howard Aizenstein (PI)

The project leverages the LIFE-M 2 year-long physical activity RCT to examine physical activity-related effects on hippocampal formation and specifically in the dentate gyrus, by applying 7-Tesla ultra-high field technology.

Retinal Imaging Markers of Cognition in Adults with T1D

2015–2017
R21 DK107926-01
Caterina Rosano (PI)

Examined the relationships, both cross-sectionally and change over time, between neurocognitive complications (e.g., brain imaging markers, psychomotor speed, cognitive impairment) with measures of retinal vascular health (e.g., retinal vessels diameter, retinopathy) in middle-aged adults with childhood onset Type 1 Diabetes.

Healthy Brain Project 2 - Resilience to Mobility Impairment: Neural Correlates and Protective Factors

2011–2017
1 R01 AG037451-01A1, NIA
Caterina Rosano (PI)

This is a longitudinal neuroepidemiological study to identify the brain characteristics and risk factors of older adults who have maintained good mobility in the face of substantial structural brain abnormalities.

Imaging Biomarkers of Accelerated Brain Aging in Type-1 Diabetes

2010–2016
R01 DK089028-04, NIDDK
Caterina Rosano (PI)

This research will quantify the nature, severity and risk factors of brain abnormalities in the ongoing longitudinal Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) cohort study as adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) are increasingly more likely to develop brain abnormalities in addition to multiple micro- and macro-vascular complications.

Healthy Brain Project 1 - Brain Anatomical Correlates of Mobility Control in the Oldest Old

2007–2012
1 R01 AG029232-01
Caterina Rosano (PI)

This project aims to investigate the longitudinal association of focal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in GM and WM with age-related mobility impairment in gait speed and balance in a large cohort of community-dwelling older adults from the Health Aging Body Composition Study (Health ABC).