Behavioral and physiological linkage in people with frontotemporal dementia and spousal caregivers

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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 people’s 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 CGs’ 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 PWD’s socioemotional symptoms to CG’s 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 cognitively-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 methods to study emotion and social functioning in healthy and clinical populations. To support the candidate in conducting the proposed research, training in 3 areas is planned: (a) dyadic behavioral and physiological time series data analysis, (b) diagnosis and clinical assessment of FTD, and (c) dementia caregiving. Training will occur under the mentorship of renowned experts in each field (including a clinical psychologist, a behavioral neurologist, and a nurse specialist). The training environment at the Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley (primary), and the Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco (secondary), will be ideal for the proposed training and research, as well as for developing the candidate’s professional skills. Together, the award will help the candidate launch his research career as an independent scientist with unique expertise in dyadic emotion and psychophysiology, neurodegenerative disease, and caregiving. The proposed research will help advance the understanding of the pathways through which FTD yields collateral damage on CGs, and provide a novel, objective, continuous, and potentially portable measure to quantify PWD-CG connectedness for future research and clinical use.