# Leveraging Neuroimaging Biomarkers to Understand the Role of Social Networks in Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $703,577

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of the proposed project is to understand the role of personal social network dynamics in
the etiology and clinical progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease
(AD). We propose to characterize social-behavioral and biological mechanisms underlying
relationships between social networks and aging-related neuropathology. AD and dementia takes
a devastating toll on individuals, families, and the health care system. A critical point of
intervention in AD is the social environment, which has the potential to moderate underlying
neuropathology, altering the typical cognitive course of dementia. Positive social interaction –
including number of confidants, frequency of social contact, support, and social engagement – is
associated with reduced risk for dementia and a slower trajectory of cognitive decline among
diagnosed individuals. However, the existing literature relies on limited and unidimensional
measures of social interaction, and has yet to consider the role of underlying biological
neurodegeneration, which manifests long before observable clinical cognitive symptoms of
dementia. The proposed project addresses these gaps via three specific aims: Aim 1 is to identify
baseline associations between social network characteristics and neurodegeneration (QNPs).
Aim 2 is to examine longitudinal relationships between personal social network dynamics and
neurodegenerative changes. Aim 3 is to evaluate alternative models of the coevolution of personal
social networks and neurodegenerative changes in trajectories of clinical cognitive decline. The
proposed study is interdisciplinary, combining leading-edge methods from the social and
biomedical sciences, and leveraging the resources of funded centers for AD, neuroimaging, and
network science. By increasing our understanding of the links between biological and social
processes, this project may help identify novel targets for intervention to reduce the burden of AD
on individuals, families, and the health care system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10180831
- **Project number:** 5R01AG057739-04
- **Recipient organization:** TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** LIANA G APOSTOLOVA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $703,577
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-15 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10180831

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10180831, Leveraging Neuroimaging Biomarkers to Understand the Role of Social Networks in Alzheimer's Disease (5R01AG057739-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10180831. Licensed CC0.

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