Association of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms with Structural Network Changes in 


   Note: An Official Proposal has not been Submitted to NACC.


   Lead Investigator:    Kiana Scambray
   Institution      :    University of California Irvine
   E-Mail           :    kscambra@uci.edu
   Proposal ID      :    1731



   Proposal Description:
   The manifestation of neuropsychiatric symptoms in those with neurodegenerative disorders is  challenging families and caregivers. Current treatments aimed to mitigate these symptoms could  benefit from a target-based approach, however, that requires a better understanding of the  underlying brain changes. While some research has examined structural brain changes associated  with neuropsychiatric symptoms in individuals with clinical diagnoses, the proposed study will  be the first to identify relationships between neuropsychiatric symptoms and gray matter network  changes in an autopsy confirmed sample.  We hypothesize that changes in structural connectivity, assessed through morphometric  similarity networks, will be associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms, as measured by the  Neuropsychiatric Inventory- Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Furthermore, we predict these structural  changes related to neuropsychiatric symptoms will remain consistent across those with  Alzheimer?s disease neuropathological change and frontotemporal dementia. Identifying these  structural networks associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms will help to inform future  treatments aiming to mitigate these highly distressing symptoms.