The mechanisms that underlie the behavioral and molecular abnormalities of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain poorly understood. Although the etiology of AD may be multifactorial, and several pathways may lead to the massive loss of neurons in AD, characterization of the molecular substrates of diminished cognition and the selective degeneration of vulnerable neurons in AD is critical for elucidating the pathobiology of this disorder as well as for the design of strategies for the early diagnosis, prevention and/or amelioration of AD. As a result of the recruitment of new faculty and the development of newly funded AD research programs, investigators at the University of Pennsylvania have formed an informal, multidisciplinary consortium to increase basic and clinical understanding of AD. This ADCC will formalize existing links between this group of behavioral and molecular neuroscientists from the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. By extending these links to education specialists at the Penn Center for the Study of Aging and the Nursing School, this ADCC will significantly augment a vigorous developing AD research program at the University of Pennsylvania in order to: 1) Increase understanding of AD; 2) Promote interactions between this ADCC and ongoing AD research programs; 3) Develop new, extramurally funded research initiatives. To accomplish this, the Penn ADCC will support: 1) An Administrative Core (Core A) to oversee the direction and activities of the ADCC and related AD research programs; 2) A Clinical Core (Core A) to unify and coordinate the recruitment and continued assessment of AD and control subjects in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry; 3) A Neuropathology Core (Core C) to obtain postmortem tissues from deceased Core B subjects for diagnostic evaluation and research; 4) An Education and Information Transfer Core (Core D) to foster interest in and awareness of AD and the ADCC, as well as to develop the skills of clinical and basic scientists interested in AD research. Finally, Pilots will be recruited and supported by this ADCC to stimulate novel lines of investigation that are likely to develop into extramurally funded and independent research projects. In sum, this ADCC will foster the expansion of an interactive and cohesive cadre of Penn investigators from different disciplines who will focus their efforts on increasing understanding of the clinical and molecular basis of AD, as well as the broad effects of this late-life dementia on our society.
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