This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. It would be highly desirable to develop a non-invasive test for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
The aim of this study is to use MRI and CSF biomarkers to identify in normal subjects the earliest clinically detected changes of AD. The hypothesis is that CSF P-tau levels will improve accuracy of MRI measurements of atrophy and CSF amyloid-beta measurements as a predictor of decline to cognitive impairment. The study is based on the observation that in some normal and minimally cognitively impaired individuals, neuronal and volume loss in the entorhinal cortex can be seen in association with neurofibrillary tangles. Imaging studies lack specificity, but the investigators suggest that tangle-related abnormal tau proteins (P-tau 231) are elevated in the CSF of minimally cognitively impaired individuals, predicting decline, and are specific for AD. This is a longitudinal MRI and CSF study over 3 years (3 evaluations) on 80 elderly normal subjects (50 with memory complaints) already enrolled in another study. MRI will be performed to measure hippocampus size. Lumbar puncture will be done to measure tau and amyloid-beta proteins. Standardized neuropsychological data will also be collected.
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