Characterizing baseline and change in functional status and motor performance
in cognitively-intact and -impaired individuals 
   Lead Investigator:    Sydney Schaefer
   Institution      :    Arizona State University/Arizona Alzheimers Cent
   E-Mail           :    sydney.schaefer@asu.edu
   Proposal ID      :    1477



   Proposal Description:
   A) How much functional change is typical in older adults? This study will  characterize how much change can be expected in older adults with and without     cognitive impairment, and to develop threshold scores for different levels of     AD risk.                                                                         B) Motor behavior has potential to be an affordable and accessible marker of     cognitive impairment and AD risk. Some aspects of motor behavior (i.e. grip       strength) have been loosely correlated with ADLs and ADL decline, but our own     experimental work suggests that more complex movements may have stronger         predictive value of cognitive and functional decline.                             The specific objectives of the proposed research is to test the hypothesis that  complex motor behavior can predict functional change in older adults, and to     challenge clinical practice to begin using motor behavior as a marker for         cognitive and functional decline.