Effect of Cognitive Empathy Training on Dementia Caregivers

The goal of this project is to investigate the effect of cognitive empathy training on mental health, inflammation, and immune function in caregivers of people living with dementia (PLWD), and to examine the underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms. The primary aim is to establish the effectiveness of cognitive empathy training in improving caregiver mental health and immune function, and in decreasing caregiver inflammation The secondary aim is to investigate the psychological and neurobiological mechanism by which cognitive empathy training improves caregiver well-being

Inclusion Criteria: * Caregivers must live with their care recipient * Caregivers must have a Zarit Burden Scale score of 19 or higher * Caregivers must have no plans to move their care recipient to an institutional setting within the next year * Caregivers must be able to read and write English * Care recipient not in hospice * Access to a mobile phone that can take and email photographs Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects with a history of seizures or other neurological disorders, alcoholism, or any other substance abuse * Subjects with a history of psychiatric illness (excluding depression and anxiety disorders) will also be excluded * Subjects with a history of head trauma based on Survey * Subjects with MRI contra-indications