2025 Manners Awardees
"Sedentary Behavior as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease and its Interaction with Neighborhood Characteristics"
Marissa A. Gogniat, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
ABSTRACT: The prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) is expected to greatly increase over the next decade, creating a public health crisis. Few current pharmaceutical treatment options exist, and thus non-pharmaceutical prevention strategies are needed. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of health behavior modifications will inform our understanding of biological targets. A common but understudied health behavior is sedentary behavior. Evidence suggests that sedentary behavior may independently contribute to risk for AD, but the neurobiological pathways are poorly understood, and this understanding may provide an opportunity for early prevention. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that sedentary behavior may interact with social determinants of health, such has neighborhood quality characteristics, to influence risk for AD. Data collection will be leveraged from deeply phenotyped participants who are part of the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and already have completed comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and AD biomarker testing. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that greater sedentary behavior will be associated with worse cognitive function, along with higher levels of AD pathology measured via blood-based biomarkers. Aspects of neighborhood disadvantage will further exacerbate the negative effects of sedentary behavior on cognition and AD risk. Based on this hypothesis, the proposal aims to 1) Evaluate the association of sedentary behavior and cognition using comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, 2) Evaluate the link between sedentary behavior and AD biomarkers, and 3) Examine the interaction of sedentary behavior with neighborhood characteristics on cognition and AD biomarkers. With the successful completion of this project, the PI will write and submit a BrightFocus Foundation Grant examining how activity levels interact with social determinants of health to influence vulnerability to early AD related changes (e.g., neuroinflammation, concomitant vascular pathology) measured through cognitive trajectories and blood biomarkers. Understanding with more specificity how activity level influences vulnerability to AD lends itself well to future work that will inform tailored preventative strategies.
"Swissvale Open Spaces"
Susan Lucas, PhD
Teaching Assistant Professor
Urban Studies
University of Pittsburgh
ABSTRACT: This proposal requests funding to support the next phase of the Swissvale Open Spaces Project, a community-based asset mapping initiative launched in 2022. The Swissvale Open Spaces Project was given the Mon Valley Initiative Community Partner of the Year Award in 2024. The primary goal of the Swissvale Open Spaces Project is to document and reimagine the function of underutilized/ vacant land in Swissvale Borough, Allegheny County. Funding will facilitate the expansion of the project beyond the traditional examination of underutilized parcels that relies on the use of secondary data. The requested budget will enable the collection of high-quality, qualitative information, in the form of individual and collective stories about vacant/ underutilized land in Swissvale. We argue that capturing such stories is crucial for developing citizen-informed vacant land reuse strategies that reflect the lived experiences and values of Swissvale residents. Funding will support research assistants for fieldwork, transcription, and data management; equip investigators with necessary materials, including voice recorders, name tags, and miscellaneous supplies and provide participant compensation through gift cards.