My Healthy Brain: a mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention to modify early risk of dementia in older adults

NIH RePORTER · NIH · K23 · $191,821 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY In this K23, I (Dr. Ryan Mace) will acquire training in mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention development for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). I am a clinical health psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, with a strong research background in the cognitive underpinnings of mental health and aging. My long-term goal is to become an independent investigator and leading developer of technology-enhanced behavioral interventions, from pilot testing to implementation, for the large-scale promotion of healthier lifestyles with aging. Through this K23 project, and the rich multidisciplinary training environment at MGH, I will achieve the following Training Goals: 1) identify implementation barriers using qualitative methods with medical stakeholders; 2) optimize lifestyle and mindfulness-based interventions for specific aging populations; 3) conduct rigorous technology-enhanced clinical trials; and 4) collect and analyze mobile health data on lifestyle behavior change. To achieve these goals, I have assembled an exemplary mentorship team led by my primary mentor, Dr. Ana-Maria Vranceanu, a clinical health psychologist and a leader in live video mind-body intervention development; co-mentor, Dr. Christine Ritchie, a geriatrician and palliative care physician with decades of research on improving the detection and treatment of ADRD; advisor, Dr. Stephen Bartels, a geriatric psychiatrist and national expert in implementation science; advisor, Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist internationally renowned for app-based mindfulness programs for behavior change; advisor, Dr. Olivia Okereke, a geriatric psychiatrist specializing in modifiable lifestyle risk factors of ADRD; and advisor, Dr. Bettina Hoeppner, an experimental psychologist with expertise in statistics and longitudinal modeling of mobile health data. This proposal logically builds on my prior work co-developing My Healthy Brain (MHB) – the first mindfulness-based lifestyle program to modify ADRD risk factors in older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). SCD is a critical window for ADRD prevention, while cognitive symptoms are at the earliest stage, yet prior trials targeting multiple lifestyle factors have shown limited adherence, are time-intensive, and failed to produce behavior change. In contrast, MHB 1) teaches mindfulness skills to improve lifestyles; 2) uses mobile health technologies (ActiGraph watches, smartphone app) to assess and reinforce behaviors; and 3) is delivered via live video. For Aim 1, I will conduct live video focus groups with medical stakeholders (N = 20) using elements from Proctor’s implementation framework to address barriers to efficient referrals, develop participant engagement strategies, and optimize study procedures. For Aim 2, I will establish — via a live video pilot RCT in older adults (age ≥ 60) with SCD and ADRD risk factors — the feasibilit...

Key facts

NIH application ID
10885108
Project number
5K23AG075257-03
Recipient
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
Principal Investigator
Ryan Andrew Mace
Activity code
K23
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2024
Award amount
$191,821
Award type
5
Project period
2022-09-15 → 2027-06-30