How inherited FTD and Alzheimer's genes affect children's brain development
Official title: Neurodevelopment in children from families with genetic frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11299051 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether children who carry inherited genes for frontotemporal dementia or Alzheimer's show early differences in brain structure and behavior compared with their noncarrying family members and kids with autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $780,302 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG071756-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11299051 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents from families with a known inherited mutation for frontotemporal dementia or Alzheimer's, including both mutation carriers and noncarrier family members, are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without a family history of genetic FTD or AD, or those unwilling to undergo imaging and behavioral testing, are unlikely to directly benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If your family has a known mutation for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or Alzheimer's (AD), researchers will invite children and their noncarrier family members to UCSF for brain imaging, cognitive testing, and behavior questionnaires. The team will compare brain structure and neural network connections in mutation carriers versus noncarriers, and also compare carriers to children diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, and language-based learning disabilities. This cross-sectional work aims to find how early brain differences appear and whether carriers show overlap with common neurodevelopmental conditions. Participation typically involves one or more visits to the UCSF Dyslexia Center for MRI scans and standardized assessments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal early brain differences in children with familial FTD or AD that lead to earlier monitoring, support, and more targeted interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies in young adult presymptomatic carriers and animal models have found early brain differences, but applying this approach to children is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Suzee Eurie — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Lee, Suzee Eurie
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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.