This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Dementia is defined as the loss of cognitive or intellectual function. There are multiple causes of dementia with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) being the two most common. The effects of dementia are significant in terms of memory and cognitive decline, but decline in self-care skills such as eating and swallowing can also have a significant impact on the patient and his or her caregiver. Dysphagia can be a major source of disability impacting diet, nutrition, hydration, and pulmonary status. Independence in activities of daily living, such as self-feeding, has an important impact on quality of life and economic status and can be a deciding factor on the ability to remain at home versus living in a residential facility.
The aims of this study are to determine whether swallowing function differs in AD and VaD, to investigate the relationship between dysphagia and neurocognitive and structural abnormalities using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to determine how swallowing and neurocognitive performance impact mealtime behavior. Given that dysphagia and eating impairments can affect quality of life and significantly increase caregiver burden, it is important that the investigators identify factors that may be associated with greater independent feeding behavior and reduced caregiver burden. This research has important theoretical and clinical implications. The identification of a more refined neuroanatomical model of swallowing willl contribute to a clearer construct of the neural basis of disordered swallowing. Increased knowledge of dysphagia and eating impairments in patients with AD and VaD may predict independent level of functioning. A better understanding of these deficits may assist in identification of therapeutic intervention to facilitate a more independent level of function and could decrease caregiver burden.
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