Understanding social attachment changes in frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
Official title: Neural mechanisms of social attachment disruption in frontotemporal dementia
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11368482 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how aging and dementia affect social bonds and empathy, with a focus on a gene-related form of FTD using animal models to uncover how social attachment works in the brain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career 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 | June 1, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $169,020 |
| NIH project number | 5K08AG070377-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11368482 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with or at risk for frontotemporal dementia or related social-behavioral symptoms may benefit from future diagnostic or therapeutic advances.
✕Less likely to help
People without FTD or related social-communication symptoms may not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This program aims to map the brain circuits and molecular pathways that drive social attachment and its disruption in people with frontotemporal dementia. The project uses the prairie vole as a model to explore how genetic changes linked to FTD alter social behavior, with a mentor-guided plan to apply findings toward human relevance. The researcher will combine genetic tools and neurobiological techniques to identify targets that regulate social bonding and how these targets break down in dementia. Although the work begins in animals, it is designed to translate discoveries toward early diagnostics and potential therapies for social impairment in FTD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new ways to diagnose and treat social withdrawal and loss of empathy in FTD and related aging-related neuropsychiatric conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies using animal models have shown that genetic changes can influence social behavior, supporting this approach as promising but still exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Berendzen, Kristen — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Berendzen, Kristen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Investigating how DNA damage and repair mechanisms are altered in ALS and frontotemporal dementia.
This study is looking at how problems with DNA repair might contribute to conditions like ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and it’s testing ways to fix these issues in cells from patients to help develop new treatments.
-
Exploring how oxidative stress and ferroptosis affect frontotemporal dementia
A study using human iPSC-derived neurons from people with frontotemporal dementia to see how reactive oxygen species and a cell death process called ferroptosis relate to disease features.
-
Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, automated speech and language analysis tool is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
-
Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia across Latino and English-speaking groups
A low-cost, automated language study aims to help diagnose and understand Alzheimer’s and FTD in diverse Spanish- and English-speaking communities.
-
Automated language analysis to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, computer-based method analyzes speech and language to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
-
Automated language analysis for Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking communities
A low-cost, computer-based language analysis method is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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.