Project Grant R01AG099081

The National Institute on Aging awarded The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York $697,394 on August 15, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to develop and validate detailed quantification methods for 24-hour sleep and activity profiles from accelerometer data and to examine how modifiable activity behaviors affect Alzheimer's disease and related dementias outcomes.

The project will establish approaches for robust, participant-level quantification of the full activity distribution from wearable accelerometer data; introduce methods for data-driven chronotype discovery and circadian rhythm analysis; and relate these nuanced phenotypes to cognitive health outcomes. The research addresses a gap in current practice: existing summary measures of physical activity are too narrow, and metrics quantifying activity timing and intensity lack consistency across studies, producing conflicting information and limiting public health insights. By leveraging intensive longitudinal accelerometer data, the project aims to develop metrics and phenotypes that provide actionable evidence on how complex features of activity timing, intensity, sleep, and circadian rhythmicity influence dementia risk.

Performance takes place in New York, New York, with a period of performance from August 15, 2026, through May 31, 2031. Columbia's Health Sciences Division is the recipient and will conduct the work as a Project Grant, the standard assistance type under the Aging Research program.