The Role of Environmental Stressors on Veteran s Neurocognitive Aging
Abstract
Background: Dementia is a progressive decline in neurocognitive function that is deeply distressing for patients and caregivers. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias in U.S. military Veterans is expected to escalate in the coming year. Greater risk of developing dementia has been associated with increased exposure to environmental stressors before, during, and after time in service. Military personnel may incur a multitude of additional risks including traumatic brain injury (TBI), which in conjunction with exposure to environmental stressors may make them more vulnerable to developing AD. This is important as the majority of TBI in the military are mild to moderate with many going undiagnosed. The goal of this proposal is to investigate the relationship between TBI, exposure to environmental stressors, and neurocognitive aging. Objective: Neurocognitive functioning is the result of a number of genetic and experiential factors. Each individual has an accumulation of a unique set of interactions with the world. It is that accumulation of interactions that may lead a person down one of potentially multiple paths to dementia. It is critical that we characterize these paths so that we can develop effective interventions to either stop individuals from taking them or slow their progression once on the path to dementia. The objective of the work proposed is to extend previous work in important ways by developing a better understanding of how different interactions with the environment via different exposures to stressors contribute to the development of AD. We will also develop a rich dataset because of the innovation in the combination of data collected from toxin levels, AD blood biomarkers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures, the type and timing of exposure to stressors and a behavioral/cognitive assessment. The dataset will be made open access to further not only our work but the work of the research community. During the 3 years of the project, our goal is to recruit 120 Veterans aged 55 years and over who have been identified with potential cognitive decline or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) within the past 5 years through a collaborative effort between The University of Alabama (UA) and the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. It is important to note that many military Veterans will not have a formal diagnosis of TBI even though they may have experienced one. A focus on MCI and not individuals with dementia may be expected to aid in identification of these individuals and help to better explain the relationship between TBI and AD risk. We will assess history of exposure to: (1) environmental toxins, (2) chronic psychosocial stress including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (3) history of TBI. Biospecimens will be collected to measure inflammatory, toxins, and AD biomarkers as well as MRI scans on a subset of participants to examine brain structure and function. Finally, we will administer a battery of neuropsychological assessments to determine cognitive status. Innovation and Impact: The near-term scientific impact of the proposed research is to improve our understanding of whether and how exposure to environmental stressors – chronic psychosocial stress and toxin exposure – contribute to the development of AD in individuals with TBI. We anticipate the longer-term impact of creating a more complete characterization of the role that environmental stressors play in the development of AD will be the development of interventions that prevent exposure to and that reduce the impact of those stressors. The outcomes of this work will impact both the research community and military communities (Veterans, active-duty personnel, and military families). Reducing exposure and/or addressing previous exposures to stressors may significantly reduce dementia rates in military Veterans.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310224
Entities
People
- Sharlene Newman
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Alabama