# Pain and Nutrition in Dementia and Alzheimers PANDA

> **NIH NIH K99** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2023 · $133,110

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
Growing evidence suggests the presence of dysregulated pain modulation in older adults, and affect which
may heighten age-associated risk for chronic pain. Additionally, chronic pain and Alzheimer’s Disease and
related dementias (AD/ADRD) are highly prevalent and comorbid in older adults, and research suggests that
they may have overlapping etiologies and pathologies. Chronic pain may a predictor for the development of
AD, and almost half of AD patients report having pain. Thus, understanding of the shared mechanisms
underlying both is critical in order to develop effective treatment and prevention modalities. Recently,
epigenetics has been implicated in both disease states, with many modifications of the epigenome that may go
on to result in immune system dysfunction, of which is a hallmark of both chronic pain and AD. While there are
many environmental factors that can influence the epigenome, nutrition status has been shown to be one of
the most common and modifiable factors therein. Thus, it may be efficacious to understand dietary interactions
with the epigenome to target epigenetic regulation of the development and maintenance of chronic pain and
AD. Therefore, the overall goal for this mentored career development proposal (K99/R00) is to fill this
knowledge gap and determine the influence of overall diet pattern as well as Vitamins A and D specifically on
the epigenetic environment as it relates to chronic pain and AD/ADRD. Primary training goals for the current
proposal are to: Increase knowledge and understanding of measurement techniques used to assess cognitive
aging in humans, with a specific focus on mild cognitive impairment, and AD/ADRD; Further expand
knowledge of nutri-epigenetics, and apply it to cognitive aging outcomes; Enhance clinical research skills
related to the design, conduct and statistical analysis of multidisciplinary studies and rigorous translational
research skills to function as an independent investigator. Study 1 (K99 Phase) will assess dietary differences
and their associations with differences in epigenetic aging, pain, and cognition in individuals with and without
chronic pain. Study 2 (R00 phase) will allow for the assessment of diet pattern as well as vitamin A and D
status on DNA methylation patterns, gene and protein expression, pain and cognitive outcomes in older adults
with and without mild cognitive impairment. This proposed career development plan extends from the PIs prior
work in dietary and immune system modulation of pain, and will forge a path towards understanding and
investigating side-effect free nutrigenomic targets that improve pain and AD/ADRD outcomes in older adults.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10644355
- **Project number:** 1K99AG081552-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Larissa J Strath
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $133,110
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10644355

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10644355, Pain and Nutrition in Dementia and Alzheimers PANDA (1K99AG081552-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10644355. Licensed CC0.

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