(Clinical Core) The New Mexico exploratory Alzheimer?s Disease Research Center (NM eADRC) Clinical Core recruits patients for research, performs all clinical evaluations, neuropsychological testing, and facilitates MRI scanning and collection of CSF and blood. The University of New Mexico Center for Memory and Aging (UNM CMA) and the New Mexico Veterans Administration Health Care System (NMVAHSC) will refer patients to the NM eADRC. The PI has studied over 500 patients with dementia as part of two RO1s and a U grant since 2006. There are four specific aims of the CC.
Specific Aim 1 is to recruit three groups of subjects into NM eADRC. Cohort 1 are legacy patients that have had multimodal biomarkers including neuropsychological testing, MRI imaging according to research protocols, and biochemical studies of blood and CSF. Cohort 2 will be new subjects recruited from the UNM and VA memory clinics into the NM eADRC. Cohort 3 will be American Indians (AI) in the urban and rural communities in New Mexico. The rural AI will be studied on-site with Mobile On-Site Screening and Testing (MOSST), using community health representatives for neuropsychological testing and two 1.5T Mobile MRI scanners.
Specific Aim 2 is to perform MRI scans and obtain blood samples on all participants in the NM eADRC, including subjects from Zuni Pueblo. MRI scans will be done with a 3T MRI at the MRN and on 1.5T Mobile scanners at the Pueblo. All imaging data collected will follow protocols used in ADRCs.
Specific Aim 3 is to continue to recruit the Latinos and Caucasian participants through UNM CMA.
Specific Aim 4 is to continue longitudinal assessment of subjects studied from the legacy patients that are able to continue. We will follow current ADRC guidelines to collect all the UDS3 data, imaging, and fluid data. The NM eADRC proposal combines information collected by other centers along with unique information obtained from the New Mexico population. We have performed lumbar punctures on all current consenting patients (169 traditional LPs, with a 97% success rate). The CSF data has been used in biologically-based patient stratification according to the NIA-AA biological criteria. Biomarkers for inflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) studies are unique and will be made available to other ADRCs. A highly innovative part of this proposal is overcoming barriers to dementia care in rural AI populations by bringing evaluation, imaging and clinical trials to them with Mobile On-Site Screening and Testing (MOSST). The diverse population in New Mexico will add to the minority population in the ADRC databanks. The approach of the NM eADRC to the stratification of patients by multimodal biomarkers will be useful for clinical trials in more homogeneous populations, using smaller numbers of patients.
