Limited Competition: The Health and Retirement Study and Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Background
The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal panel study that surveys a nationally representative sample of approximately 20,000 people aged 50 and older in the United States via mixed-mode data collection to support multidisciplinary research on life course health and aging. The study collects core data in two-year intervals supplemented with off-year sub-studies using mixed modes of data collection. It also supplements core and supplemental survey collection with linkages to administrative records from Medicare and Social Security; contextual data on participant living environments; and biomarker data generated from saliva, dried blood spots, and venous blood. The HRS has been collaborating with the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) to conduct the Follow-Up Study 3.0 to enhance the heterogeneity of AD/ADRD case and control sequences.

Grant Details
The purpose of this limited competition FOA is to continue data collection, development, and dissemination of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP). The renewal provides additional research opportunities to use HRS to study Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) formally including a companion project, the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP), that included a neuropsychological assessment battery as well as informant reports to better characterize cognitive function.

This single integrated award combining HRS and HCAP seeks to implement recommendations from subject matter experts to enhance HRS/HCAP by adding larger samples of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino populations in HCAP; contextual data to capture new elements of the exposome; improving overall response/retention rates; enhanced data on occupational exposures/characteristics; expanded aging and AD/ADRD-relevant blood-based biomarkers; additional content on social factors to study racial disparities and minority health via life histories, as well as the medium and long-term social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligibility Requirements
Only recipients previously funded under RFA-AG-18-005 are eligible to apply.

Period of Performance
The project period is for 6 years.

Grant Value
$32,570,500 in FY 2024 for 1 award.

Place of Performance
United States