BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL LINKAGE IN PEOPLE WITH FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA AND SPOUSAL CAREGIVERS - PROJEC…
Federal financial assistance recorded from USAspending. This is not a procurement contract.
Assistance award details
- Assistance award identifier
- ASST_NON_R00AG059947_075
- FAIN
- R00AG059947
- Recipient
- BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
- Awarding agency
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Funding agency
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Assistance listing (CFDA)
- 93.866
- Total obligated
- $722,723
- Period
- Jun 15, 2019 – Dec 31, 2025
- Fiscal year
- 2023
- Place of performance state
- NE
- Source file
- FY2023_All_Assistance_Full_20261006.zip
Description
BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL LINKAGE IN PEOPLE WITH FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA AND SPOUSAL CAREGIVERS - PROJECT SUMMARY THIS PATHWAY TO INDEPENDENCE AWARD WILL EQUIP THE CANDIDATE WITH THE KEY SKILLS TO STUDY INTERPERSONAL CONNECTEDNESS BY EXAMINING BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL LINKAGE (E.G., HOW CLOSELY PEOPLEâS HEART RATES AND EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS ARE SYNCHRONIZED) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA (FTD) AND THEIR SPOUSAL CAREGIVERS (CGS). FTD IS ASSOCIATED WITH PROFOUND NEURODEGENERATION IN THE FRONTAL AND TEMPORAL REGIONS OF THE BRAIN AND SEVERE SOCIOEMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS (E.G., APATHY, DISINHIBITION) THAT ARE DIFFICULT NOT ONLY FOR THE PERSON WITH DEMENTIA (PWD) BUT ALSO FOR THE CG. CARING FOR A LOVED ONE WITH FTD CAN BE A MEANINGFUL PART OF FAMILY LIFE; HOWEVER, DISRUPTIVE SYMPTOMS CAN PRODUCE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS AND UNDERMINE CGSâ HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. GIVEN THE STRONG ASSOCIATIONS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN CLOSE INTERPERSONAL CONNECTEDNESS AND HEALTH/WELL-BEING, THE CANDIDATE PLANS TO TAKE NOVEL STEPS TO EXAMINE (A) HOW INTERPERSONAL CONNECTEDNESS OF THE PWD AND CG IS ALTERED IN FTD (AIMS 1 AND 3), AND (B) HOW ALTERED PWD-CG CONNECTEDNESS PROVIDES A BRIDGE THAT LINKS PWDâS SOCIOEMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS TO CGâS HEALTH DECLINES (AIM 2). IMPORTANTLY, THE CANDIDATE PLANS TO STUDY PWD-CG CONNECTEDNESS BY ASSESSING BOTH BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF PWD-CG CONNECTEDNESS. THIS NOVEL APPROACH WILL PROVIDE MORE OBJECTIVE, LESS COGNITIVE-DEMANDING, AND MORE CONTINUOUS MEASURES FOR PWD-CG CONNECTEDNESS, AS COMPARED TO SINGLE SELF-REPORT MEASURES THAT HAVE TYPICALLY BEEN USED IN PAST RESEARCH. THE CANDIDATE ALSO PLANS TO DEVELOP THE OPTIMAL METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR QUANTIFYING PWD-CG CONNECTEDNESS IN BOTH LABORATORY AND NATURALISTIC SETTINGS (E.G., IDENTIFY THE MEASURE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL LINKAGE THAT BEST PREDICTS POOR CG HEALTH; AIM 4). THE CANDIDATE HAS RECEIVED SOLID TRAINING IN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND HAS A STRONG TRACK RECORD USING INTEGRATIVE MET