Frontiers Lauren S. Aaronson Pilot Awardees: Jaime Perales Puchalt, Ph.D., University of Kansas Medical Center; Laura Martin, Ph.D., University of Kansas Medical Center

Project Title: Feasibility of Re-contacting Former Tobacco Cessation Trial Participants to Collect Dementia-Related Data

Although survey studies indicate that quitting smoking may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease—a leading cause of disability and expense—randomized cessation interventions have not been examined for long-term effects on brain health. Building on two successful University of Kansas Medical Center-affiliated trials (Quit2Live and Kick It at Swope 4—KIS 4), Jaime Perales Puchalt, Ph.D., and Laura Martin, Ph.D., and their team will investigate the feasibility of reaching out to former participants and collecting data on dementia years later.  Many of the approximately 1,000 adults who were enrolled in those trials agreed to future contact, and the group was representative of smokers in the United States. In one trial, counseling and varenicline were randomized against counseling and a placebo; in the other, counseling and varenicline were single-arm, and the intervention condition had higher quit rates.

For the Lauren S. Aaronson Pilot Award, Perales and Martin spotted an opportunity to bridge established cessation cohorts and Alzheimer’s prevention questions. If feasible, the model generalizes that any group with a past trial and consent could test similar re-contact and assessment strategies, accelerating the field while keeping costs realistic.

First, they will do a feasibility check, calling approximately 50 previous participants for a follow up, verify contact rates, and inquire about their willingness to participate in an Alzheimer's or brain health study, including any perceived obstacles or enablers to particular study elements. Next, they will ask 10 respondents to finish a brief assessment bundle. Cognitive testing, blood-based biomarkers, and imaging are among the planned data; the pilot also provides basic insights into scheduling, communication, and retention, as well as early trends in outcomes.

Because there is no baseline cognitive battery from the original trials, sampling will be deliberate. Cognitive decline manifests later than some biomarkers, so the team expects to prioritize midlife and older-adult ages for cognition while selecting younger participants when it makes sense with biomarker timing. The original trials recruited adults (often midlife, ~45), with today’s reachable pool spanning an age range of 35–65 and some in their 70s; choices will be guided by the outcome of interest.

An Advisory Board will help adapt materials and approach for the populations being contacted, such as what to say by phone, what mailings should look like, and how to return results in clear, plain language to participants.

The project also brings together population-health and brain-health groups at KU Medical Center, leveraging long-running cessation studies to seed Alzheimer’s research—an efficient use of prior investments that others could replicate.

The goal of the project is to get enough data to apply for an R01 and have additional cohorts. Additionally, the hope is to turn this into a sustained program and publish findings that guide prevention and future trials.