How air pollution and other environmental factors may affect behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration
Understanding Environmental Contributions to Heterogeneity in bvFTD.
['FUNDING_P01'] · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · NIH-11265594
This project looks at whether air pollution, workplace and household toxins, and neighborhood factors change how quickly behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration (bvFTD) gets worse.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_P01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11265594 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will follow people with bvFTD over time and record changes in behavior, thinking, and daily function. They will link these clinical and neuropsychological measurements to environmental exposure information such as air pollution and household or occupational toxins. The team will combine brain scans and inflammation markers from blood or other biofluids to see how exposures relate to frontal-lobe damage. Findings aim to explain why some people with bvFTD decline faster than others and point to possible environmental contributors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration (bvFTD) who can attend clinical visits, provide exposure histories, and give blood or other samples are the best candidates.
Not a fit: People without bvFTD or those whose symptoms stem from unrelated conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal modifiable environmental risks that influence how quickly bvFTD progresses and suggest ways to reduce exposure to slow decline.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has shown that individual lifestyle factors can affect bvFTD progression, but linking specific environmental exposures to disease course is newer and less established.
Where this research is happening
PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: MASSIMO, LAUREN M — UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- Study coordinator: MASSIMO, LAUREN M
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 below.