There are many active research projects accessing and applying shared ADNI data. Use the search above to find specific research focuses on the active ADNI investigations. This information is requested annually as a requirement for data access.
| Principal Investigator | |
| Principal Investigator's Name: | Madeleine Werhane |
| Institution: | University of Washington |
| Department: | Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
| Country: | |
| Proposed Analysis: | Background and Rational: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that is associated with high health care costs, reduced quality of life, and rapidly increasing prevalence rates that are projected to nearly triple by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015).Given a lack of interventions that can considerably impact disease risk and progression (Cumming, Morstorf, & Zhong, 2014), there has been significant interest in identification of the very earliest risk factors and prevention targets for AD. Essential to this effort is the critical need to characterize the neurobiological changes that underlie mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a period thought to represent the transitional stage between normal aging and dementia (Peterson et al., 1999; Peterson & Morris, 2005). MCI is highly prevalent, with studies generally indicating prevalence rates around 10-20% for older adults over the age of 65 (Lopez et al., 2003; Peterson et al., 2010). Furthermore, 15% of people who are evaluated by their physician for concerning MCI symptoms develop dementia each year, while nearly 50% progress within 3-4 years (Petersen et al., 1999). Additionally, individuals diagnosed with MCI are at greater risk for future functional decline and impairment (Wadley et al., 2007). Given that everyday functioning is not only central to autonomy and quality-of-life, but also linked to high healthcare hosts and caregiver burden, identifying objective factors that predict functional decline among older adults, particularly those at increased risk for developing neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, has become a critical clinical and public health imperative. Genetic (e.g., apolipoprotein-E [APOE]-4 allele) and vascular risk factors (e.g., hypertension, arterial stiffness, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking) may serve and useful predictors of functional decline within the MCI population. Studies have repeatedly linked both the presence of the APOE-4 allele and increased vascular risk to MCI and AD (e.g., DeCarlo et al., 2015; Saito, Yamamoto, & Ihara, 2015; ) Such results suggest that both genetic and vascular risk may serve a central role in or increase brain vulnerability to AD pathology. Therefore, I would like to access the ADNI database in order to investigate longitudinal relationships between APOE-4 genotype and elevated pulse pressure (PP) on various neuroimaging and clinical outcomes in your well-characterized sample of older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Findings from such work aligns with the stated mission of ADNI, and may have important implications for the early identification of individuals at risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Participants: Participants in the proposed project(s) will include individuals enrolled in ADNI who have completed a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, genotyping, and blood pressure assessment. Individuals with a current or a history of significant neurological or psychiatric disease or substance abuse will be excluded. Group Assignment: Participants will be stratified into two groups: Mild cognitive impairment [MCI] or cognitively normal [CN] based on the presence or absence of an MCI diagnosis. MCI diagnoses will be assigned both according ADNI, as well as the well-validated comprehensive MCI criteria (Jak, Bondi, Delano-Wood et al., 2009). The comprehensive criteria for MCI are as follows: (1) impaired performance on two or more tests in one cognitive domain, as defined as scores 1 standard deviation (SD) below normative expectations; and (2) and intact activities of daily living (Jak et al., 2009). The cognitively normal group will include all participants who had at least one year of follow-up and who remained classified as normal throughout their participation in ADNI (range of 1-7 years of follow-up). Analyses will be completed using both the ADNI and comprehensive criteria for MCI. Pulse Pressure Assessment: Vital signs are collected for ADNI participants at all study visits. For the proposed project(s), PP will be derived from baseline blood pressure data (systolic blood pressure-diastolic blood pressure). Genotyping: Presence or absence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE)-4 allele, an important susceptibility gene for AD (Saunders, Zollinger, & Rao, 1993), is determined with blood samples for each ADNI participant at the screening visit. Data Analysis: Linear mixed effects modeling will be used to examine differences in the relationship between elevated baseline arterial stiffness and different clinical and imaging outcomes (e.g., neuropsychological test performance, MRI and PET imaging, CSF biomarkers) by APOE genotype group within individuals with MCI. In addition, we will also conduct exploratory analyses with other measures of vascular risk (e.g., systolic blood pressure, diabetes status, antihypertensive medication use). |
| Additional Investigators |
