The Neuroimaging Core has experienced considerable productivity during the past cycle. This growth is in large measure attributable to the think tank atmosphere created by a dedicated multidisciplinary faculty. A growing arsenal of neuroimaging tools, specifically created for new ADCC projects, was developed and distributed in the MIDAS software package. The Core supports 27 funded projects and scientific collaborations, all the routine clinical and research ADCC neuroimaging examinations, and multi-institutional neuroimaging training. In the current cycle the Core has contributed to image acquisition, image registration, anatomical validation, and image analysis projects that demonstrated their value within and across modalities and are now extended to transgenic mouse imaging. This cycle has led to the first PET and MR imaging observations of medial temporal lobe brain changes in normal individuals that predict future MCI and AD. We developed a regional boundary shift algorithm that demonstrates increased rates of atrophy years prior to MCI. The first cross-modality (MR-PET) studies of the hippocampus were reported. Core resources were directly responsible for these accomplishments by developing image analysis software and making the applications user friendly. The Core has also conducted post mortem MR and histological anatomical studies to validate in vivo measurements of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. We propose 5 specific aims that include: hardware and software support for new and existing projects including multi-center human imaging collaborations and new investigators; new pathological validations for in vivo human amygdala and subiculum imaging; standardized longitudinal mouse imaging protocols with post mortem amyloid distribution validation; uniform acquisition and quality control for MR and PET imaging data; the development of new imaging and biomarker protocols to improve AD diagnostic specificity; and for testing hypotheses related to glucose transport and perfusion in normal aging and diabetes.
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