Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways
About This Grant
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Lead is a well-established neurotoxicant known for its adverse effects on neurodevelopment and cumulative impacts on adult cognition. Emerging evidence suggests that early life lead exposure may also increase the risk of later-life cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease, independent of adult exposures. However, critical gaps remain in understanding how early life lead exposure contributes to cognitive aging, particularly regarding sensitive windows of vulnerability, interactions with social factors, and underlying mechanisms. The objective of this project is to elucidate the biological and psychosocial pathways linking early life lead exposures and later life cognitive function, focusing on identifying time-specific intervention points over the life course. We will test the central hypothesis that lead exposure during specific early developmental periods contributes to worse cognitive function in later life, which may be modified by psychosocial factors in childhood and adulthood and mediated through epigenetic alterations and adult health conditions. Leveraging the unique study design of the St. Louis Baby Tooth (SLBT) Study, which provides unprecedented early-life measures of lead exposure across prenatal and early postnatal periods in a population of older adults and cognitive assessments, health surveys, and blood samples in later life - this project will: (K99) Aim 1: Evaluate how psychosocial factors in childhood and adulthood modify the association between early life lead exposure and later-life cognitive function; (R00) Aim 2: Investigate whether adult cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychiatric comorbidities mediate the relationship between early life lead exposure and cognitive deficits; and (R00) Aim 3: Identify epigenetic signatures associated with early life lead exposure and their relation to cognitive outcomes. This K99/R00 will provide mentored training to gain expertise in cognitive aging and related comorbidities, social epidemiology, causal inference, and bioinformatics for epigenomics data analysis. Findings will offer immediate insight into risk factors for later-life cognitive impairment, sensitive windows of early life lead exposure, susceptible populations, and pathways through which lead exposures impact later-life cognitive dysfunction. This project, nested within the ongoing SLBT cohort study, will also be a launching point for future R01s examining clinical cardiometabolic measures, cognitive decline, and the cognitive exposome.
Grant Summary
Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways is a NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant providing up to $120K for university, nonprofit, healthcare org. Applications are due 2028-06-30 (open). Check eligibility and apply with FindGrants.
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Eligibility
How to Apply
Up to $120K
2028-06-30
- 1Confirm your organization is eligible for Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways from NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, checking organization type, location, and any population or project requirements.
- 2Gather the required documents and information, including your organization details, project plan, and budget figures.
- 3Draft your application narrative and budget addressing the funder's priorities and review criteria. FindGrants can draft each section for you to review and edit.
- 4Review every section against the requirements checklist, then export a submission-ready application pack and submit it to NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences before the deadline.
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Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways?
Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways is offered by NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and is generally open to university, nonprofit, healthcare org. It is open to organizations nationwide unless the funder specifies otherwise. Review the specific eligibility terms before applying, since funders set their own requirements around organization type, location, and the population or project being served.
How much funding does the Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways provide?
Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways provides up to $120K per award from NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Actual award sizes depend on the scope of your project, available program funds, and the number of applicants, so build a budget that reflects realistic, allowable costs rather than the maximum figure.
When is the Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways deadline?
Applications for Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways are due 2028-06-30 (open). Because deadlines can change, verify the date with the funder, NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and give yourself enough time to prepare a complete, competitive application before the close date.
How do you apply for the Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways?
To apply for Early Life Lead Exposure and Later Life Cognitive Function: Biological and Psychosocial Pathways, confirm your eligibility, gather the required documents, and prepare a narrative and budget that address the funder's priorities. FindGrants guides you step by step and can draft each section, then exports a submission-ready application pack for this grant from NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.