The Center for Cognition and Affect in Chronic Illness

描述(申请人提供)：慢性疾病是美国的主要死亡原因，近70%的死亡归因于慢性健康状况。2005年，几乎每2名美国人中就有1人患有慢性病，四分之一的人至少有一种日常功能障碍。与普通人群相比，心血管疾病、糖尿病、阿尔茨海默氏症和艾滋病毒/艾滋病等慢性疾病与抑郁和焦虑的发生率更高。越来越多的证据表明，许多慢性病对神经认知功能的有害影响。此外，神经认知障碍(NCI)(如执行功能、记忆、注意力障碍)和情绪困扰可通过降低自我照顾的能力和动力直接影响慢性病；情绪困扰可扰乱神经内分泌级联反应，对免疫功能产生负面影响，也会使疾病恶化。NCI和情感困扰也可能是相互依存的；一种症状的存在可能会加剧另一种症状的影响。因此，情感和认知症状可以通过生理和行为途径加强负面病程；这些途径的中断有可能减缓这种负面进展。Nell Hodgson Woodruff提议的慢性病认知和情感中心。埃默里大学护理学院寻求产生新的知识，以阐明慢性疾病中情感症状和认知症状的潜在机制和复杂的相互作用。拟议中心的总体目标是促进、支持并作为研究慢性病情感和认知症状的病因、识别、评估和有效治疗的研究的孵化器。通过集中的研究资源和基础设施，该中心将促进和支持跨学科研究活动和独立的护理研究计划，以促进情感和认知症状的科学研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Chronic disease is the leading cause of death in the United States with nearly 7 out of 10 deaths attributed to chronic health conditions. In 2005, almost 1 out of every 2 Americans had a chronic illness and one-quarter had at least one day-to-day functional limitation. Chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and HIV/AIDS are associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety than in the general population. Mounting evidence points to the detrimental impact of many chronic illnesses on neurocognitive functioning. In addition, neurocognitive impairment (NCI) (e.g. deficits in executive functioning, memory, attention) and emotional distress can directly impact chronic illness via reduced capacity and motivation for self-care; emotional distress can dysregulate neuroendocrine cascades and negatively impact immune function also worsening disease. NCI and affective distress can be interdependent as well; the existence of one symptom potentially compounding the effects of the other. Therefore, affective and cognitive symptoms can potentiate a negative course of illness through both physiological and behavioral pathways; disruption of these pathways has the potential to reduce this negative progression. The proposed Center for Cognition and Affect in Chronic Illness in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff. School of Nursing at Emory University seeks to produce new knowledge that will elucidate the underlying mechanisms of and complex interactions between affective and cognitive symptoms in chronic illnesses. The overarching goal of the proposed Center is to promote, support, and serve as an incubator for research studying the etiology, identification, assessment, and effective treatment of affective and cognitive symptoms of chronic illness. Through centralized research resources and infrastructure, the Center will promote and sustain interdisciplinary research activities and independent programs of nursing research to advance the science of affective and cognitive symptoms.