Study of How Morning Activity and Talk Therapy Affect Mood and Brain Health in Dementia Caregivers Aged 55 and Older

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how stress, sleep, and daily activity affect mood and brain health in unpaid family caregivers of people with dementia. The study focuses on depression symptoms, morning activation deficits difficulty getting going in the morning, and brain connectivity patterns linked to depression. It includes a randomized component comparing two talk-therapy treatments to explore how changes in morning activity might influence depression-related brain mechanisms. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group follows the Scheduling Activity and Monitoring Mornings SAMM protocol, which involves creating and tracking a morning activity plan over six weeks with weekly therapist sessions to adjust plans as needed. The other group receives supportive therapy sessions focused on active listening without specific activity strategies. Some participants may also adjust their sleep schedules to support earlier morning activity. During the study, participants complete surveys on mood and caregiving experiences, wear an activity-tracking watch, and undergo brain MRI scans at baseline and follow-up. Researchers will measure changes in rumination, depressive and anxiety symptoms, morning activation deficits, brain connectivity, and responses to rumination cues. Follow-up assessments occur up to six months after starting the intervention to monitor lasting effects and mechanisms involved in depression symptoms among caregivers.

Caregiver Stress and Sleep Study