Administrative Core: The Administrative Core (AC) of New Mexico Exploratory Alzheimer?s Disease Research Center (NM eADRC) is critical for the management of the center by convening committees and interacting with NACC, NCRAD, and NIA. NM eADRC creates an infrastructure for AD science in New Mexico, raising the level of research participation in rural American Indian (AI) communities, and increasing the understanding of the role of vascular disease in AD and related dementias (AD/ADRD) through the use of biomarkers and advances in neuroimaging. The AC will ensure the successful completion of the aims in the Overall, Clinical and Scientific Cores. The AC will form committees to help achieve the goals of the NM eADRC. The AC will link senior scientists with junior faculty, trainees, clinical practice physicians and community health representatives (CHRs). The scientists in the NM eADRC are accomplished investigators with extensive experience managing large research projects, training junior investigators, and working as a team. The PI was head of Neurology at UNM and is director of the Center for Memory and Aging. As Chair, he managed two neuroscience CoBRE grants. The Co-Director of the NM eADRC is a nationally recognized researcher in AD and a leader in the development of a vaccine against tau protein. The AC Co-Leader is trained in geriatrics and neurology, co-edited the textbook on geriatric neurology and has engaged with local communities and state-wide organizations for many years in dementia related activities. Neuropsychology will be directed by Drs. Sadek and Prestopnik and neuroimaging by Drs. Caprihan and Kiehl. A demonstration/pilot project will use community health representatives and mobile MR imaging to bring AD research to the tribal areas with the Mobile On-Site Screening and Testing (MOSST), using the two mobile 1.5T MRI scanners at the MIND Research Network. The innovative work on developing vascular biomarkers will add a vascular component to the NIA-AA criterial for AD. BBB studies developed at UNM will provide insight into mechanisms of inflammation. A major advantage of the NM eADRC is the ability to include data from underrepresented minorities in the NACC, ADNI, and NCRAD databases. The NM eADRC will bring to the southwest a major center for research and innovative care in AD/ADRD that will utilize the outstanding scientific resources in the state, while building a greater understanding of the needs of rural and minority populations.
