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Brain anatomical imaging and neurocognition in pediatric kidney disease (BRAIN KID)

Award Number: R01DK128835
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2027

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Brain anatomical imaging and neurocognition in pediatric kidney disease (BRAIN KID) - Project Summary Pediatric chronic kidney disease (pCKD) is most commonly due to congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract; thus, meaning a lifetime of disease. Children with even mild CKD are at risk for neurocognitive difficulties specific to attention regulation, academic underachievement, and executive function [1-3]. Neurocognitive deficits have broad implication on quality of life, as they contribute to poorer high school graduation rates and long-term underemployment in the adult CKD population [4]. The cognitive complications of pCKD are thought to represent sequelae of an aberrant “kidney-brain axis” whereby kidney impairment and associated disease sequelae may negatively impact the brain, leading to increased risk of cognitive impairment in the course of pCKD progression [5-7]. However, there is a critical gap in our understanding of the developing brain in the context of pCKD. Thus, the overarching goal of this proposal is to quantify structural and functional brain differences using MRI and cognitive/behavioral assessments in pCKD participants with mild to moderate (early) CKD compared to unaffected controls. To our knowledge, this proposal is the first in the world to quantitatively evaluate the brain in young children with early stage pCKD due to a focused disease etiology using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Preliminary data from our laboratory are striking and demonstrate robust structural brain differences (particularly within the cerebellum) in children with congenital, non-glomerular causes of CKD compared to healthy peers. There appears to be a direct relationship between decreased cerebellum volume and impaired kidney function. Furthermore, lower cerebellum gray matter volume appears to predict performance on neurocognitive tasks specific to executive function in children with CKD. Our pilot data demonstrate abnormal resting state connectivity in pCKD whereby children with CKD show hypo-connectivity between the cerebellum (dentate nucleus) and the frontal cortices. We will investigate a “dosage” effect of disease burden on neurodevelopment in children with mild/moderate CKD. Understanding the influence of pCKD progression and severity on the developing brain will allow enhanced awareness of the role of disease progression on neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood and inform new approaches to patient care across the CKD lifespan.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	5	12/4/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $268,473 )
2025	2025	THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	5	4/8/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$268,473
														Subtotal = $268,473

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $296,613 )
2024	2024	THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	4	2/16/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$278,075
2024	2024	THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	4	5/20/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$18,538
														Subtotal = $296,613

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $308,710 )
2023	2023	THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	3	1/30/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$308,710
														Subtotal = $308,710

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $305,787 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, THE	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	002	2	7/27/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, THE	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	2	5/4/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$305,787
2022	2021	UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, THE	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	5/3/2022	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $305,787

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $306,262 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, THE	105 JESSUP HALL	IOWA CITY	IA	52242	JOHNSON	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	4/28/2021	NEW	$306,262
														Subtotal = $306,262

Grand Total All Awards = $1,485,845

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Brain anatomical imaging and neurocognition in pediatric kidney disease (BRAIN KID)

Award Number: R01DK128835

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/28/2027

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