Brief anxiety treatment for people with early Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers
Official title: Randomized Clinical Trial of a Brief, Anxiety Intervention for Mild Cognitive Impairment/mild Alzheimer’s Disease and their Care Providers
Funded at Florida State University · NIH-11259516 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A short, focused therapy to help people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's and their caregivers feel less anxious.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tallahassee, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $734,833 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG077569-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11259516 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease who have noticeable anxiety, along with their primary care partner.
✕Less likely to help
People with moderate-to-severe dementia who cannot follow brief therapy steps or those without clinically significant anxiety are less likely to benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, you and your care partner would be randomly assigned to a brief anxiety program or usual care and followed over time. The sessions are short and built for people with memory problems, teaching ways to reduce sensitivity to bodily and emotional sensations that make anxiety worse. The program includes simple exercises and coping skills that do not rely heavily on memory, and caregivers are included so both of you can learn practical strategies. Researchers will track anxiety symptoms and daily functioning to see whether the approach helps patients and their care partners.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce anxiety for people with MCI or mild Alzheimer's and improve caregiver well‑being, possibly helping daily functioning.
How similar studies have gone: Therapies targeting anxiety sensitivity have shown promise in other groups, but brief interventions specifically tailored for people with MCI/early Alzheimer’s and their caregivers are relatively new and not yet widely proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida State University
Tallahassee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schmidt, Norman Brad — Florida State University
- Study coordinator: Schmidt, Norman Brad
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.