The overall mission of the Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Center (OADC) is to facilitate and advance research in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias. This will be achieved by maintaining 6 core facilities in associated with expert Core personnel to support both current research strengths, as well as to be responsive to the developing potential of new knowledge and discoveries in the field. The Center is organized and coordinated by the Administrative ore to be an efficient unit, working in concert with the research community to facilitate investigations in several major thematic areas such as studies of preclinical or incipient dementia in the very elderly, the genetics of AD, and the relationship between AD and Parkinson's disease. The Clinical Core provides well-characterized, longitudinally followed research subjects of several kinds: 1) AD and related dementias; 2) Healthy elderly at high risk for developing dementia, emphasizing those older than 85 years of age; 3) Dementia of Parkinson's disease; and 4) Subjects reflecting social and racial diversity (African American, Native American, and isolated rural populations). The Clinical Core is linked to the Neuropathology Core through programs such as the Community Brain Donor Program designed to enhance tissue donation. The Neuropathology Core uses modern histopathologic and morphometric techniques to characterized donated tissues which in turn are utilized by a diverse array of basic and clinical scientists both locally and nationally. The Genetics Core response to the needs of both Clinical and Neuropathology Cores and their missions of sophisticated characterization of research subjects and tissues by family history and genotype. The Genetics Core is also responsive to basic scientists in potential ability to facilitate study of candidate genes causing AD or genes which are protective and promote successful aging. Liking all these units is the Data Core which maintains an efficient relational database containing a unique catalogue record system allowing easy revision and modification of protocols as is inevitable in any longitudinal program. The Data Core further provides important assistance and advice in design and statistical analysis to investigators developing new projects. New information and knowledge of the field is disseminated through the Education and Information Transfer Core. This Core provides regular educational forums of many types ranging from small seminars to interactive television broadcasts. The Core's professional education programs and curricula are informed by new research spearheaded by this Core on how primary care physicians diagnose dementia.
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