Assessing disease progression among Alzheimer's disease patients with adult
child study partners
 
   Lead Investigator:    Joshua Grill
   Institution      :    UCLA
   E-Mail           :    jgrill@uci.edu
   Proposal ID      :    355


   Publications:


1  Grill JD, Zhou Y, Karlawish J, Elashoff D
   The impact of study partner change in Alzheimer's disease research
   Abstract  Alzheimers Dement,10:P852,2014,

   PUBLISHED



2  Grill JD, Zhou Y, Karlawish J, Elashoff D
   Does study partner type impact the rate of Alzheimer's disease progression
   Abstract  J Nutr Health Aging,17:816,2013,

   PUBLISHED



3  Grill JD, Zhou Y, Karlawish J, Elashoff D
   Frequency and Impact of Informant Replacement in Alzheimer Disease Research
   Journal Article  Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord,29:242-248,2015,PMC4486637

   PUBLISHED



4  Grill JD, Zhou Y, Karlawish J, Elashoff D
   Does study partner type impact the rate of Alzheimer's disease progression?
   Journal Article  J Alzheimers Dis,38:507-514,2014,PMC3842422

   PUBLISHED





   Proposal Description:
   Alzheimer???s disease (AD) invariably results in decline in cognitive ability, functional impairment   and dependence. The individual providing care to the AD patient is critical to the patient's   overall health. In the proposed secondary data analyses, we will use an innovative strategy for   reducing bias in observational research, propensity matching, to examine the impact of the type   of caregiver that the AD patient has - spouse or adult child - on their disease progression. In   Aim 1, 448 probable AD patients enrolled in the National AD Coordinating Center Unified Data   Set (NACC UDS) with adult child study partners will be matched to participants with spouse   study partners using a propensity-scoring algorithm that includes 13 clinical and demographic   variables. We will model disease progression among the groups using a series of random effects   mixed models for change over time on the mini-mental status examination, the clinical dementia   rating scale, and the functional assessment questionnaire. These measures were chosen   specifically to permit comparison of potential differences among study groups on outcomes that   are informant-dependent, independent, and mixed. In Aim 2, we will examine the impact of a   change in the study partner on disease progression using a similar propensity match design. We   hypothesize that participants with adult child study partners will demonstrate more rapid disease   progression than do participants with spouse study partners, and that participants who experience   a change in study partner experience more rapid disease progression than those who do not.