# Assessing blood biomarkers of dementia and neurodegeneration in early and late onset hoarding disorder

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2020 · $424,910

## Abstract

ABSTRACT/PROJECT SUMMARY
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are responsible for a staggering personal, economic, and
societal cost. This Administrative Supplement project will examine the degree to which hoarding disorder
symptoms with a late age of onset (LOHD) are associated with blood-based measures of neurodegeneration
and abnormal protein aggregation common in dementia, specifically plasma measures of neurofilament light
chain (Nfl), amyloid, and tau. By determining the association of LOHD, which may be an early symptom of
neurodegenerative disease and incipient dementia, with blood markers used to detect pathological processes in
ADRD, this project will significantly advance our understanding of ADRD in older adults. This work holds
significant promise to inform the development of more effective interventions to prevent or treat behavioral
disturbance associated with ADRD, to identify behavioral markers of individuals a higher risk for ADRD, to clarify
mechanisms contributing to accelerated cognitive decline in older adults, and to improve screening and
recruitment efforts for studies investigating the earliest stages of ADRD.
Hoarding disorder, a neuropsychiatric illness that was only recognized as a formal psychiatric diagnosis within
the last 10 years, is common, occurring in up to 6% of adults over 55, and epidemiologically has more similarities
to the dementias than it does to other psychiatric disorders. Hoarding symptoms are also much more common
among individuals with dementia than in the general population, occurring in up to one third of individuals with
ADRD. However, the relationship between LOHD and potential biomarkers of incipient dementia have never
been examined. This proposal will address this critical scientific gap.
Three hundred participants, 100 with LOHD, 100 with early onset hoarding (EOHD), and 100 age matched
healthy controls (HC), will be recruited from the parent study: “Hoarding disorder in older adults: cognition,
etiology, and functional impact” (R01MH117114). Blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration (Nfl) and
protein aggregation characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (tau and amyloid protein)
will be measured for each participant. The relationship between plasma levels of these potential biomarkers and
hoarding symptoms will be examined. Two core specific aims will be accomplished. These are: 1) To examine
the association of blood-based measures of neurodegeneration and dementia with LOHD compared with EOHD
and age matched healthy controls (HC), and 2) To determine whether there are relationships between these
plasma biomarkers and measures of subjective cognitive decline and functional disability. A third exploratory aim
will also examine whether a relationship exists between Nfl, a measure of general neurodegeneration, and
medical comorbidities across all participants, but with a specific focus on those with hoarding symptoms. This
project represents a unique, impa...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10121712
- **Project number:** 3R01MH117114-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert Scott Mackin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $424,910
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-07-26 → 2021-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10121712

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10121712, Assessing blood biomarkers of dementia and neurodegeneration in early and late onset hoarding disorder (3R01MH117114-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10121712. Licensed CC0.

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