Research Projects

Research Awards Received by the Team: 

  • Interstellar Initiative Beyond Grant Award
  • Interstellar Initiative Grant Award
  • Interstellar Initiative Outstanding Presentation Award
  • Mount Sinai Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center Pilot Grant Award
  • Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Pilot Grant Award

 

Current Studies

 
Chinese language versions of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s Uniform Data Set version 4: a linguistic and cultural adaptation study

Older Chinese Americans may experience delayed or inaccurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias because culturally and linguistically appropriate tools are limited. This study will develop Mandarin and Cantonese versions of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s Uniform Data Set (UDS). Participants will complete a medical exam with a study physician, thinking and memory tests, questionnaires, and brain scans during the first visit and yearly follow-up visits. Findings from this study will help improve tools used to detect and diagnose memory and thinking changes in Chinese-speaking older adults.

 
Research Infrastructure for the study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-related dementias in older Asian Americans

Older Asian Americans are often underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease research. This study aims to develop research tools and procedures to better assess dementia risk. Participants will complete a medical exam with a study physician, thinking and memory tests and questionnaires (in either English, Cantonese, or Mandarin languages), as well as blood draws during the first visit and yearly follow-up visits. Results will help guide future research and improve understanding of dementia risk among older Asian Americans.

 
Examining Unique Markers and Risk Factors for AD/ADRD in Foreign- and Native-born Older Chinese Americans: A Study of Social Determinants of Health, Sleep Patterns, Brain Scans, and Plasma Biomarkers

Chinese Americans are one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States, but are underrepresented in Alzheimer’s disease research. This study will examine how social and health factors—such as stress, access to care, and sleep—may affect dementia risk. Participants will complete a medical exam with a study physician, thinking and memory tests and questionnaires (in either English, Cantonese, or Mandarin languages), blood draws, a sleep study, as well as brain scans during the first visit and yearly follow-up visits. Findings will help researchers better understand dementia risk and health differences among older Chinese Americans.

 
A Pilot of Memory Support System for Older Chinese Americans with Mild Cognitive Impairment\

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can cause changes in memory and thinking and may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This study will translate and adapt the Memory Support System (MSS), part of the Healthy Action to Benefit Independence & Thinking® (HABIT) program, into Mandarin and Cantonese. Participants will complete thinking and memory tests and questionnaires. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups by chance: one group will learn memory strategies with a study partner, while the other will attend sessions on brain health. Results will help determine whether these approaches are helpful for Chinese-speaking older adults with memory concerns.

 
Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD)

The Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) is a multi-site study across the United States and Canada that will examine genetic and lifestyle factors related to Alzheimer’s disease in Asian older adults. Participants will complete a medical exam with a study physician, thinking and memory tests and questionnaires (in either English, Cantonese, or Mandarin languages), as well as a blood draw during the first visit and yearly follow-up visits. Findings will help improve understanding of Alzheimer’s disease risk and support research in Asian populations.

 

Completed Studies:

 
U19AG068753 Precision Monitoring and Assessment in the Framingham Study: Cognitive, MRI, Genetic and Biomarker Precursors of AD & Dementia

09/01/2021 – 06/30/2024
The Clinical Core seeks to build upon the extraordinary data resource that has been acquired since 1948 across the six Framingham Heart Study cohorts. Importantly, in terms of scientific premise, is that many vascular/metabolic, lifestyle, plasma and genetic measures have been collected longitudinally for up to nearly 7 decades that include the periods of early to mid-life and can be leveraged to identify new and expand on known risk factors and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cognitive resiliency, some of which will be pursued through the three projects proposed within this U19 application. An administrative supplement was funded to translate and adopt a battery of cognitive tests to evaluate older Chinese immigrants in the Framingham Study.

 
R56AG047992 Long-Term Nicotine Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment

06/01/2016 – 05/31/2022
The purpose of this 12-month study is to determine whether nicotine, administered in the form of nicotine patches, can improve symptoms of memory loss in some people experiencing mild memory problems (referred to in this study as “mild cognitive impairment” or MCI).