The candidate's long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator whose research focuses on brain networks in patients with cognitive impairment with functional disability. Specifically, the candidate is focused on understanding neural network connectivity associated with the loss of financial capacity (FC) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The functional and structural connectivity of brain networks associated with impairment in basic (MCI-FCb) and complex (MCI-FCc) FC in MCI, however, are not well understood. Thus, the proposed application for the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) integrates the candidates, background, interests, and established technical skills in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging to understand brain connectivity in MCI-FCb and MCI-FCc compared to normal controls (NC). In accordance with the candidate's career goals, the career development plan will focus on training in: 1) neurobiology decision-making; 2) advanced neuroimaging methods; 3) high-level skills for neuroimaging analysis and biostatistics; 4) the assessment and interpretation of executive function, and financial capacity; 5) the responsible conduct of research. The proposed research plan will focus on correlating diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) measurements large-scale neurocognitive networks to cognitive and functional measures.
The specific aims of the research are: 1) To examine how changes in integrated structural and functional connectivity measurements within the executive control network relative to other brain networks will differ between groups; and 2) To investigate associations between specific domains and tasks on the Financial Capacity Instrument to changes to large-scale network connectivity.
These aims and general methods will be applied to three participant groups: 1) 30 age- and education-matched NC; 2) 30 MCI-FCc; 3) 30 MCI-FCb. The specific hypotheses to be tested are that: 1) The MCI-FCc group will exhibit decreased functional connectivity in the executive network and decreased white matter integrity in specific tracts within the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, and dorsal and ventrolateral prefrontal cortical regions; 2) The angular gyrus, as a key node in the default mode network, will exhibit significantly decreased structural and functional connectivity in MCI-FCb compared to MCI-FCc; 3) Performance on tasks of basic arithmetic and monetary skills and bill payment will positively correlate with relative structural and functional connectivity of both the default mode network and salience network; 4) Complex tasks of financial capacity including financial conceptual knowledge and investment decision making will be strongly associated with loss of connectivity within prefrontal cortical regions of the executive control network. At the conclusion of the K award, the candidate will have assembled a well-characterized cohort of and insights obtained in the proposed study may lead to developing more effective cognitive therapies, instruments for assessments, and assistive technologies.
Older adults (>65) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with impaired financial capacity (FC) are at high risk of developing poor clinical outcomes. A better understanding of the neural mechanisms of FC with neuroimaging methods will impact the field as well as have public health relevance by characterizing biological markers of FC. These biomarkers may identify individuals at risk for progressing to dementia, serve as markers of treatment response to future novel therapies for AD and other dementias as well as provide greater insight into developing more effective cognitive therapies, instruments for assessments, and assistive technologies focused on FC.
