Jasmeet Hayes, a Scarlet and Gray Associate Professor in The Ohio State University Department of Psychology, has received a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study biological predictors of neurodegenerative diseases following traumatic brain injury.

Over the next five years, Hayes will examine data from more than 1,000 veterans, athletes and others exposed to concussions and similar traumatic brain injuries (TBI). By studying people's genetic markers, brain scans, blood tests and memory assessments, she aims to identify which factors make some more vulnerable to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, while others remain resilient. 

“Millions of people experience a mild traumatic brain injury, and most recover—but for some, the effects may surface years later as memory loss or dementia,” said Hayes, who specializes in clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience and directs the MINDSET Lab. 

“This research seeks to understand why.”

She added that by improving  early detection of Alzheimer’s-related changes following brain injury, her research will help doctors more quickly identify people who are at risk, personalize care and give patients and their families clearer answers about what a past TBI could mean for future brain health.

Hayes’ project builds on her more than 20 years of research on brain injury and resilience, including eight at Ohio State. Her interdisciplinary work regularly combines cutting-edge techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain with genetic and epigenetic data, blood-based biomarkers and cognitive testing. It has helped shape local and national discussions about brain health, including, recently, about the impact of domestic violence on survivors’ brains.

In particular, Hayes' project expands on her previous NIH-funded research, which demonstrates that people who experience traumatic brain injury and who are at risk for Alzheimer’s show differences in brain structure by middle age.

“The renewed project goes a step further by identifying specific genetic pathways that increase risk—or provide resilience—to negative brain changes after injury,” Hayes said.

Duane Wegener, chair of the Department of Psychology, noted the importance of Hayes' work amid current uncertainty about federal science funding.

“It is particularly important for the department and university to have successes—not only in generating grants to fund our research, but in bringing that research to fruition to benefit individuals and society," he said.

"Dr. Hayes’ research is a great example of work that promises all of these benefits: to the university, but also to our community and beyond.”

This is the third grant that Hayes has received from the NIH. As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, the NIH supports studies that advance fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems, and that apply this knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life and reduce illness and disability. Hayes has also previously received brain injury research funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ohio State Chronic Brain Injury Program.