How social cues and reward responses affect risk of money-related scams across ages
Social Reward Processing Across the Lifespan: Identifying Risk Factors for Financial Exploitation
This project looks at how brain responses to social situations and rewards relate to the risk of financial exploitation, especially in older adults and people at risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11379886 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may be invited to play trust and financial decision games and answer questions about your relationships while we record brain activity using MRI. The researchers will compare activity in social-processing regions (like the temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex) and reward regions (like the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and examine how these areas connect. They will enroll older adults, including people at risk for Alzheimer’s, and compare them with younger or healthier participants to see age- and risk-related differences. Tests may also include brief cognitive assessments and surveys about social networks and experiences with financial exploitation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults, including people with mild cognitive impairment or other risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, as well as healthy comparison participants across the adult lifespan.
Not a fit: People with advanced dementia who cannot complete MRI scans or give informed consent, or anyone unwilling to undergo MRI or the behavioral tasks, would likely not benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal brain-based warning signs that help identify people who are more likely to be targeted for financial exploitation so they can get earlier support or protection.
How similar studies have performed: Previous imaging work, including the investigators' preliminary studies, has shown age-related differences in social and reward brain responses, but using these measures specifically to link neural patterns to financial exploitation risk is a newer application.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- Temple Univ of the Commonwealth — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, David Victor — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Smith, David Victor
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.