# Coupling and spread of molecular and functional pathology of Alzheimer's disease

> **NIH NIH R21** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · 2021 · $438,028

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease resulting in loss of cognitive
and bodily function, and no cure or effective treatment currently exists. While several pathological processes
have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, including protein aggregation, inflammation, decreased blood flow,
and metabolic defects, the exact mechanism of neuronal death and how the disease spreads from one region of
the brain to another is unknown. The goal of this research project is to test whether molecular and cellular
dysfunction can be transmitted from cell to cell along their pathways of communication in the brain. To achieve
this goal, we will first map the functional connectivity between regions of brain in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s
disease using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, observe how these connections change over
the progression of the disease, and link these functional changes to behavioral phenotypes in animals. We will
then profile levels of inflammatory cytokines and metabolites in tissue from several brain regions in these same
mice, and observe whether changes in immunometabolic state coincide in time and space with the functional
connections measured by MRI. Successful completion of this work will test a potential mechanism of Alzheimer’s
disease spreading through the brain, and provide a map of coupling between immune, metabolic, and functional
pathology that could open new directions for future development of early disease diagnostics and therapeutic
strategies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10217616
- **Project number:** 1R21AG068532-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth A Proctor
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $438,028
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10217616

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10217616, Coupling and spread of molecular and functional pathology of Alzheimer's disease (1R21AG068532-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10217616. Licensed CC0.

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