TY - JOUR
T1 - Visual-somatosensory integration (VSI) as a novel marker of Alzheimer’s disease
T2 - A comprehensive overview of the VSI study
AU - Mahoney, Jeannette R.
AU - Blumen, Helena M.
AU - De Sanctis, Pierfilippo
AU - Fleysher, Roman
AU - Frankini, Carolina
AU - Hoang, Alexandria
AU - Hoptman, Matthew J.
AU - Jin, Runqiu
AU - Lipton, Michael
AU - Nunez, Valerie
AU - Twizer, Lital
AU - Uy, Naomi
AU - Valdivia, Ana
AU - Verghese, Tanya
AU - Wang, Cuiling
AU - Weiss, Erica F.
AU - Zwerling, Jessica
AU - Verghese, Joe
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Institutes on Aging at the National Institute of Health (R01AG075679 to JRM).
Funding Information:
JRM has a financial interest in JET Worldwide Enterprises Inc., a digital health startup spun out of research conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. MH reports financial support was provided by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and also relationship with Kessler Research Foundation that includes consulting or advisory and serves on the Editorial board of Brain Sciences and is an Associate Editor for Frontiers of Psychiatry - Schizophrenia Section. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Mahoney, Blumen, De Sanctis, Fleysher, Frankini, Hoang, Hoptman, Jin, Lipton, Nunez, Twizer, Uy, Valdivia, Verghese, Wang, Weiss, Zwerling and Verghese.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Identification of novel, non-invasive, non-cognitive based markers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias are a global priority. Growing evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s pathology manifests in sensory association areas well before appearing in neural regions involved in higher-order cognitive functions, such as memory. Previous investigations have not comprehensively examined the interplay of sensory, cognitive, and motor dysfunction with relation to AD progression. The ability to successfully integrate multisensory information across multiple sensory modalities is a vital aspect of everyday functioning and mobility. Our research suggests that multisensory integration, specifically visual-somatosensory integration (VSI), could be used as a novel marker for preclinical AD given previously reported associations with important motor (balance, gait, and falls) and cognitive (attention) outcomes in aging. While the adverse effect of dementia and cognitive impairment on the relationship between multisensory functioning and motor outcomes has been highlighted, the underlying functional and neuroanatomical networks are still unknown. In what follows we detail the protocol for our study, named The VSI Study, which is strategically designed to determine whether preclinical AD is associated with neural disruptions in subcortical and cortical areas that concurrently modulate multisensory, cognitive, and motor functions resulting in mobility decline. In this longitudinal observational study, a total of 208 community-dwelling older adults with and without preclinical AD will be recruited and monitored yearly. Our experimental design affords assessment of multisensory integration as a new behavioral marker for preclinical AD; identification of functional neural networks involved in the intersection of sensory, motor, and cognitive functioning; and determination of the impact of early AD on future mobility declines, including incident falls. Results of The VSI Study will guide future development of innovative multisensory-based interventions aimed at preventing disability and optimizing independence in pathological aging.
AB - Identification of novel, non-invasive, non-cognitive based markers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias are a global priority. Growing evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s pathology manifests in sensory association areas well before appearing in neural regions involved in higher-order cognitive functions, such as memory. Previous investigations have not comprehensively examined the interplay of sensory, cognitive, and motor dysfunction with relation to AD progression. The ability to successfully integrate multisensory information across multiple sensory modalities is a vital aspect of everyday functioning and mobility. Our research suggests that multisensory integration, specifically visual-somatosensory integration (VSI), could be used as a novel marker for preclinical AD given previously reported associations with important motor (balance, gait, and falls) and cognitive (attention) outcomes in aging. While the adverse effect of dementia and cognitive impairment on the relationship between multisensory functioning and motor outcomes has been highlighted, the underlying functional and neuroanatomical networks are still unknown. In what follows we detail the protocol for our study, named The VSI Study, which is strategically designed to determine whether preclinical AD is associated with neural disruptions in subcortical and cortical areas that concurrently modulate multisensory, cognitive, and motor functions resulting in mobility decline. In this longitudinal observational study, a total of 208 community-dwelling older adults with and without preclinical AD will be recruited and monitored yearly. Our experimental design affords assessment of multisensory integration as a new behavioral marker for preclinical AD; identification of functional neural networks involved in the intersection of sensory, motor, and cognitive functioning; and determination of the impact of early AD on future mobility declines, including incident falls. Results of The VSI Study will guide future development of innovative multisensory-based interventions aimed at preventing disability and optimizing independence in pathological aging.
KW - Alzheimer’s disease
KW - cognition
KW - mobility
KW - multisensory integration
KW - sensory processing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85153330166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85153330166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1125114
DO - 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1125114
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85153330166
SN - 1663-4365
VL - 15
JO - Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
M1 - 1125114
ER -