# Neuroimaging Markers of Emerging Dysfunction In Preclinical Alzheimer Disease

> **NIH NIH K01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $124,583

## Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to support the candidate's development and transition
into an independent researcher. The outlined training plan will equip the applicant with
the necessary skills to conduct innovative work that spans both primary research and
clinical domains. The accrual of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology can begin decades
before the onset of cognitive symptoms. Higher levels of pathology increase the risk of
dementia, but the relationship between pathology and cognition is imperfect. Functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a way to non-invasively assess the
integrity of networks in the brain that support cognition. As such it may provide a better
measure of the brain's health than biomarkers of pathology alone. Prior work using fMRI
has almost exclusively utilized only episodic memory tasks. This approach is limited as
AD leads to deficits beyond memory domains. The goal of Aim 1 is to characterize
alterations in neural activity related to preclinical levels of AD pathology using three
tasks that respectively target attentional control, working memory, and episodic memory.
The goal of Aim 2 is to compare the sensitivity of these task-based fMRI paradigms to
resting-state fMRI. The goal of Aim 3 is to relate task-based fMRI data to longitudinal
cognition and the transition from cognitive normality to an impaired state. This work will
improve our understanding of the relationship between AD pathology and neuronal
activity, as well as the relationship between such fMRI activity and longitudinal cognition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10146260
- **Project number:** 5K01AG053474-05
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** BRIAN Andrew GORDON
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $124,583
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10146260

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10146260, Neuroimaging Markers of Emerging Dysfunction In Preclinical Alzheimer Disease (5K01AG053474-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10146260. Licensed CC0.

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