Understanding Social Connections for People with ALS
Official title: Social Connectedness in People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Impact of Dysarthria, Immobility, and Psychosocial Factors
Funded at Mgh Institute of Health Professions · NIH-11170577 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how speech and movement challenges affect social connections for people with ALS, aiming to find ways to help them stay connected.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mgh Institute of Health Professions NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlestown, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $559,110 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC021446-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11170577 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) who are experiencing challenges with speech and mobility.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have ALS or are not experiencing speech or mobility impairments related to ALS may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
People living with ALS often face challenges like difficulty speaking and moving, which can make it harder to stay connected with others and lead to feelings of isolation. This project wants to understand why social disconnection happens for individuals with ALS who have speech difficulties. We plan to follow 200 ALS patients for six months, using a mobile health approach where participants use their own smartphones. This will help us gather information through surveys, speech recordings, and GPS data, all from the comfort of their homes. Our goal is to identify the root causes of social disconnection and develop targeted strategies to improve social connectedness.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies and tools to help people with ALS maintain their social connections and reduce feelings of loneliness.
How similar studies have gone: While the importance of social connection is recognized, this specific approach to understanding and addressing social disconnection in ALS patients using mobile health technology is innovative.
Where this research is happening
-
Mgh Institute of Health Professions
Charlestown, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Connaghan, Kathryn Patricia — Mgh Institute of Health Professions
- Study coordinator: Connaghan, Kathryn Patricia
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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.