NIH Reporter #1R01AG097812-01A1

Neurobiological Substrates of Falls in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults

This award funds research to understand the neurobiological causes of falls in cognitively unimpaired older adults by studying gait impairment patterns and their relation to Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease using biomarkers and neuroimaging, aiming to improve early detection and prevention of falls.

Description

Falls among older adults are a significant public health concern, a growing source of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare burden. This research evaluates brain-behavior relationships using dual-task gait, neuroimaging, and plasma biomarkers to understand how Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease contribute to gait impairment and falls in cognitively unimpaired older adults. The study aims to identify early gait abnormalities and their neural mechanisms, assess their relation to neuropathologies via biomarkers, and follow participants prospectively to determine fall risk.

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