Two Regenstrief investigators receive NIH career development awards

Two Regenstrief Institute investigators and Indiana University Center for Aging Research scientists—Michael LaMantia, M.D., MPH, and Noll L. Campbell, PharmD—have each received five-year Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development K23 Awards from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. LaMantia is an assistant professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine. His K23 award supports a project titled "DEEDS: Delirium Evaluation in the Emergency Department for Seniors."

Delirium affects approximately 10 percent of older adults who seek care in the emergency department, yet it is unrecognized in the majority of cases. To improve the care and management of older adults with delirium, it is critical to understand the dynamics that affect delirium recognition by emergency service providers. The goal of Dr. LaMantia's research is to determine the factors that influence delirium recognition and to discern those approaches to delirium assessment that are most associated with its identification. Dr. LaMantia reviewed the problem in a study published earlier this year in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Campbell is a research assistant professor in the Purdue University College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacy specialist in geriatrics with Eskenazi Health. His K23 career development award supports a project titled "Evaluating the Adverse Cognitive Effects of Medications."

This work continues his research into the role common medications play on cognition in older adults. A 2013 study by Dr. Campbell found that using anticholinergics—which block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine—for as few as 60 days causes memory problems in older adults. This award will further investigate the impact anticholinergics have on cognition and will also study the impact of statins and antihistamines.

Provided by Indiana University