Neural and Non-Neural Mechanisms Underlying Gait as a Preclinical Marker for Alzheimers Disease and Alzheimers Disease-Related Dementias (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA AG 24 041

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 24 041

This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-AG-24-041) supports R01 grant applications that focus on why and how changes in gait relate to cognitive decline during aging and across the Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) continuum. The core idea behind the announcement is that gait, which can be measured repeatedly and often noninvasively, may function as an early, preclinical marker of brain changes tied to AD/ADRD. The NOFO is looking for studies that move beyond simply documenting that gait and cognition are correlated, and instead dig into the mechanisms driving that association. By clarifying those pathways, funded projects should help determine whether gait changes can be used as a reliable early biomarker for AD/ADRD risk and progression, and/or help guide the design of early interventions that target the relevant biological and functional systems before more obvious cognitive symptoms appear.

A central emphasis is on investigating both neural and non-neural contributors. On the neural side, projects might examine how brain structure and function, neural circuitry, neurophysiology, and neuroimaging markers relate to walking performance and dual-task walking (walking while performing a cognitive task). On the non-neural side, projects could address factors like musculoskeletal function, cardiovascular and pulmonary capacity, metabolic health, vestibular and sensory function, motor control, fatigue, and other systemic influences that may shape gait and interact with cognitive performance. The NOFO encourages research that can tease apart whether gait changes are primarily reflecting neurodegenerative processes, compensatory brain responses, broader aging physiology, or some combination, and how those contributors vary across different stages of aging and disease risk.

Because the gait-cognition link spans many body and brain systems, the announcement explicitly calls for team science. Competitive applications are expected to integrate expertise across multiple disciplines, and the NOFO names examples such as gerontology, neurology, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, neuroscience, neuroimaging, exercise physiology, and physical therapy. In practice, that means proposals that combine rigorous gait measurement with high-quality cognitive phenotyping and mechanistic assessments, and that are designed to connect findings across levels (for example, linking imaging or electrophysiology to quantifiable gait parameters and to specific cognitive domains). The overall expectation is that interdisciplinary teams will be better positioned to identify causal or directional relationships, not just associations, and to generate results that are useful for clinical translation.

The funding mechanism is an NIH R01, and the opportunity is labeled “Clinical Trial Optional,” meaning applicants may propose studies that include a clinical trial if appropriate, but they are not required to do so. The activity category is health, and the CFDA listing provided is 93.866. The original application due date listed in the source information is 2023-11-03, and the opportunity was created on 2023-08-11. No award ceiling or number of expected awards is specified in the provided source data.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common U.S.-based applicant types: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and various tribal governments and tribal organizations (including federally recognized tribal governments and other-than-federally-recognized tribal organizations). The NOFO also highlights interest in participation from organizations such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, “foreign components” as defined by NIH policy are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant may include certain well-justified project elements conducted outside the U.S. under NIH rules.

In short, this NOFO is aimed at advancing mechanistic, interdisciplinary research that explains why gait and cognition track together in aging and AD/ADRD. The practical payoff NIH is signaling is better early detection using gait-based measures and stronger scientific grounding for interventions that could be deployed earlier in the disease course, potentially before traditional clinical symptoms make AD/ADRD easier to diagnose.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Neural and Non-Neural Mechanisms Underlying Gait as a Preclinical Marker for Alzheimers Disease and Alzheimers Disease-Related Dementias (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-08-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-11-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA AG 24 041

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