Funding News - Research on Increasing Quality of Life in Mobility Disorders Sought

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invite grant applications for research on increasing quality of life for individuals living with mobility-limiting disorders.*

Conditions that limit mobility include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain or spine injuries, congenital abnormalities, obesity, arthritis, lower limb ischemia, and lung and balance disorders. There has been limited research on the psychosocial effects and quality of life experienced by people with these conditions. In addition to limited mobility, symptoms of pain and fatigue are common and may have a negative effect on psychosocial and physical functioning. Strategies to improve coping with symptoms of mobility-limiting conditions may improve quality of life for these individuals.

Areas of potential research interest include studies to: identify unique interventions to maintain physical functioning in challenging populations such as cognitively impaired older adults with limited mobility; identify strategies to improve quality of life and psychosocial adjustment in individuals with limited mobility; develop strategies to minimize the secondary symptoms of pain and fatigue that may be found in persons with limited mobility; explore whether gender and racial/ethnic influences occur in response to the physical and psychosocial functioning in persons with limited mobility; develop and test interventions to address the fear of functional dependence and reduce the need for relying upon others for accomplishing the activities of daily living; determine the factors contributing to quality of life and positive outcomes for individuals experiencing a mobility disorder; determine factors associated with successful adaptation to a sudden decrease in mobility; identify barriers to maximum physical and psychosocial functioning in persons with limited mobility; identify unique factors that promote quality of life in people who have limited mobility secondary to conditions such as lung disease and obesity; and evaluate the impact on psychosocial functioning or quality of life of the use of assistive devices or neural prostheses in managing limited mobility.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. Daofen Chen, Program Director, Channels, Synapses, and Circuits Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2131, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: 301-496-1917; fax: 301-402-1501; e-mail: daofen_chen@nih.gov.

*For more detailed description of this program announcement, please visit the NIH web site at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-02-111.html.