My prior research background has involved the assessment of cognitive, behavioral and functional deficits associated with memory impairment in both animal models and human populations. My current and long- term career goals are focused upon developing a translational research program that uses biochemical markers to accelerate the discovery of new therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The career development plan described in this application will facilitate my achievement of these goals by allowing me to obtain greater technical expertise with the biochemical and pharmacological aspects of AD through the acquisition of new research skills in the laboratory of Dr. Gregory Cole at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, and a more comprehensive understanding of the AD drug discovery through the completion of formal coursework in clinical pharmacology and clinical trials methodology at UCLA. This career development plan will be complemented by the proposed research project, which seeks to determine whether an transgenic rat model of AD can be used to determine the utility of longitudinal measurements of two potential biological markers of AD in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), beta-amyloid 1-42 (AP42) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) for the assessment of disease progression and response to treatment at early stages of the disease. We hypothesize that the levels of these markers will change in conjunction with age- associated increases in disease progression. We further hypothesize that these changes will be differentially modulated by treatment with curcumin or docosahexaenoic acid (DMA) and will be affected by both the duration of treatment and the severity of disease at the time of treatment. The use of curcumin and DHA, which have demonstrated efficacy in reducing disease progression in other animal models and have distinct underlying mechanisms, will allow us to assess how successful therapies affect these putative CSF biomarkers of AD. The results of this study will clarify the roles of CSF Ap42 and p-tau in clinical trials of AD therapeutics and form the basis for future studies of other potential CSF biomarkers and other potential therapeutic treatments in this promising animal model system.

Public Health Relevance

This project has the potential to help develop more efficient methods for identifying promising medications for AD that result in clinical trials that take less time and money to complete. Facilitating the development of more effective medications for AD is of critical importance to the NIA given the elevated prevalence of this disease in the rapidly growing elderly populations of the United States and other industrialized countries.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08AG034628-05
Application #
8531813
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1-ZIJ-4 (M1))
Program Officer
Petanceska, Suzana
Project Start
2009-09-01
Project End
2014-08-31
Budget Start
2013-09-01
Budget End
2014-08-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$108,000
Indirect Cost
$8,000
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Bilousova, Tina; Miller, Carol A; Poon, Wayne W et al. (2016) Synaptic Amyloid-? Oligomers Precede p-Tau and Differentiate High Pathology Control Cases. Am J Pathol 186:185-98
Hsiao, Julia J; Lu, Po H; Grill, Joshua D et al. (2015) Longitudinal declines in instrumental activities of daily living in stable and progressive mild cognitive impairment. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 39:12-24
Teng, Edmond; Chow, Nicole; Hwang, Kristy S et al. (2015) Low plasma ApoE levels are associated with smaller hippocampal size in the Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative cohort. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 39:154-66
Deutsch, Mariel B; Mendez, Mario F; Teng, Edmond (2015) Interactions between traumatic brain injury and frontotemporal degeneration. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 39:143-53
Bilousova, Tina; Taylor, Karen; Emirzian, Ana et al. (2015) Parallel age-associated changes in brain and plasma neuronal pentraxin receptor levels in a transgenic APP/PS1 rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Dis 74:32-40
Teng, Edmond; Taylor, Karen; Bilousova, Tina et al. (2015) Dietary DHA supplementation in an APP/PS1 transgenic rat model of AD reduces behavioral and A? pathology and modulates A? oligomerization. Neurobiol Dis 82:552-560
Teng, Edmond; Yamasaki, Tritia R; Tran, Michelle et al. (2014) Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in clinical subtypes of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 37:307-14
Joshi, Aditi; Teng, Edmond; Tassniyom, Kanida et al. (2014) Hippocampal and mesial temporal sclerosis in early-onset frontotemporal lobar degeneration versus Alzheimer's disease. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 29:45-9
Ma, Qiu-Lan; Zuo, Xiaohong; Yang, Fusheng et al. (2013) Curcumin suppresses soluble tau dimers and corrects molecular chaperone, synaptic, and behavioral deficits in aged human tau transgenic mice. J Biol Chem 288:4056-65
Teng, Edmond; Leone-Friedman, Judith; Lee, Grace J et al. (2013) Similar verbal fluency patterns in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 28:400-10

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