The Core serves the ADRC by: recruiting and enrolling research subjects; providing clinical, cognitive, and behavioral assessments at entry and annually thereafter for diagnosis, dementia staging, and monitoring of clinical course from entry until death; obtaining autopsy permission; and acquiring biological samples. A particular strength of this Core is its ability to identify the earlier symptomatic stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as distinguished from non-demented aging. The Core has notably improved its recruitment of minorities through the successful activities of its African-American Outreach Satellite.
The Specific Aims of the Core are to: 1. Provide subjects, carefully characterized as to diagnosis and stage of dementia, to support the research studies of the ADRC and other investigators and particularly the current projects: Project 1: Identification of genes that modify age of onset of AD (A. Goate, PI); Project 2: ApoJ lipoproteins: Role in Abeta deposition (D. Holtzman, PI); Project 4: fMRI exploration of memory in aging and early-stage DAT (R. Buckner, PI). 2. Maintain the ADRC Subject Registry with individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and related dementia and non-demented elderly controls by continuing longitudinal clinical psychometric, and behavioral assessments of subjects already enrolled; and recruiting new subjects able to participate in research protocols to replace those lost to dementia progression, death, or relocation far from St. Louis. 3. Obtain biologic samples from subjects for use by investigators within and outside the ADRC, including blood collection and postmortem tissue. 4. Support the African-American Training and Information Transfer) in clinical assessment, service delivery, and educational training activities. 5. Integrate data collection and entry procedures with Core A. Biostatistics, all other Cores and Projects, and the designated Alzheimer's Disease Data Coordinating Center.
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