# Actigraphic Assessment of Sleep and Circadian Rest/Activity Rhythms in Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and their Caregivers

> **NIH NIH F30** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $51,752

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY.
Sleep disturbances are common among persons with Alzheimer's disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)
and their caregivers, often cited as the primary reason for institutionalization. Sleep disturbances are
detrimental to quality of life for both members of the person with ADRD and caregiver dyad, and can be
treated, especially when diagnosed appropriately and in a timely fashion. With no present cure, ADRD care
models, clinical care teams, and research groups typically focus on measuring and improving quality of life and
caregiver burden. However, both these outcomes can be negatively impacted by sleep and circadian
rest/activity rhythm disturbances.
The proposed pre-post study is nested within an NIA-funded Phase III randomized waitlist-controlled trial,
Making Engagement Meaningful through Organized Routine Interaction (MEMORI Corps; PI Quincy Samus).
The study evaluates the feasibility and efficacy of a 12-week, evidence-based intervention delivered by trained
senior volunteers for 5 hours per week to community-living persons with ADRD. The parent study will deliver
the intervention via a virtual, HIPAA-compliant video platform. Participants (n=240 dyads) will be randomly
assigned to receive the MEMORI Corps intervention immediately (n=120 dyads) or following a 12-week delay
(n=120 dyads). The proposed pre-post study will enroll 100 dyads from the delayed start (waitlist control)
group, leveraging this postponed intervention start to collect baseline actigraphy data. Actigraphic data will be
collected during the week prior to, and post intervention. The central hypothesis is that the intervention
delivered by the parent study will improve sleep and circadian RARs of both ADRD and CGs and will be
associated with the clinically significant outcomes; (a) Quality of Life and (b) caregiver burden. To test the
central hypothesis, Ms. Antonsdottir will pursue the following Specific Aims: Aim 1: Determine whether
nighttime sleep parameters [total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset]
change pre-to-post (12 weeks) MEMORI Corps intervention implementation in (a) N= 100 ADRD and (b) N =
100 CGs. Aim 2: Determine whether changes in phase and strength of circadian RARs occur pre-to-post (12
weeks) MEMORI Corps intervention in (a) N=100 ADRD and (b) N=100 CG. Aim 3: Determine the association
of change in ADRD and CG (i) sleep and (ii) circadian RARs following MEMORI Corps intervention with
change in (a) QoL and (b) CG burden.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10489709
- **Project number:** 5F30AG071169-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Inga Margret Antonsdottir
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $51,752
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-05 → 2023-10-04

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10489709

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10489709, Actigraphic Assessment of Sleep and Circadian Rest/Activity Rhythms in Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and their Caregivers (5F30AG071169-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10489709. Licensed CC0.

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