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Motor Learning as a Sensitive Behavioral Marker of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease

Award Number: R15AG059095
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/15/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2023

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Motor Learning as a Sensitive Behavioral Marker of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease - Project Summary Most studies of behavioral impairments in aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) focus on cognitive functions. Despite significant advances in our knowledge of the behavioral profile of AD over the last few decades, the current standard in neuropsychological testing has only modest reliability in diagnosing the disease in its earliest stages. Although diagnosis typically focuses primarily on cognitive function, recent research has emphasized the potential for measures of motor behavior to predict subsequent cognitive decline and development of MCI and AD. Recent work showed that memory declines in healthy aging contribute to impairments in motor learning, yet little is known about dysfunction of motor learning in MCI and AD. In particular, mathematical modeling has revealed that motor learning relies on a fast process that allows for rapid improvements in performance, and a slow process that leads to more gradual improvements. An important observation is that older adults with poor working memory performance exhibit impairments in motor learning, driven largely by changes in the fast process. The proposed research will leverage these recent advances in our knowledge of memory systems underlying motor learning to characterize group differences between younger and healthy older adults, MCI, and AD patients in the acquisition and long-term retention of motor skills. Aim 1 will characterize changes in the memory processes underlying short-term acquisition and retention of a novel motor skill in MCI and AD patients relative to healthy younger and older adults. Aim 2 will determine the impact of known impairments in long-term memory retention in MCI and AD on the long-term retention of a newly acquired motor skill. Aim 3 will demonstrate the utility of using a newly developed method of isolating different memory systems involved in motor learning for distinguishing between healthy aging, MCI, and AD. This final aim represents an important preliminary step towards the development of a motor learning task that could be adapted in the future for use in a clinical setting for diagnostic purposes. Our central hypothesis is that isolating the fast and slow memory contributions to motor learning will provide a sensitive way of distinguishing healthy aging from MCI and AD. This research is an important first step towards improving current clinical batteries aimed at early diagnosis of MCI and AD. Ultimately, discovering new behavioral markers that are sensitive to the earliest stages of AD will allow clinicians to maximize the benefits of currently available treatment options that can slow the progression of the disease and by extension, improve the quality of life of patients and their caregivers.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$73,266 )
2024	2021	MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY	1400 TOWNSEND DR	HOUGHTON	MI	49931	HOUGHTON	USA	Aging Research	000	1	1/22/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	-$73,266
														Subtotal = -$73,266

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2021	MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY	1400 TOWNSEND DR	HOUGHTON	MI	49931	HOUGHTON	USA	Aging Research	001	1	10/24/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
2023	2018	MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY	1400 TOWNSEND DR	HOUGHTON	MI	49931	HOUGHTON	USA	Aging Research	000	1	10/21/2022	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $98,240 )
2021	2021	MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY	1400 TOWNSEND DR	HOUGHTON	MI	49931	HOUGHTON	USA	Aging Research	000	1	8/4/2021	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$98,240
														Subtotal = $98,240

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $455,884 )
2018	2018	MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY	1400 TOWNSEND DR	HOUGHTON	MI	49931	HOUGHTON	USA	Aging Research	000	1	6/25/2018	NEW	$455,884
														Subtotal = $455,884

Grand Total All Awards = $480,858

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Motor Learning as a Sensitive Behavioral Marker of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease

Award Number: R15AG059095

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/15/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2023

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