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Department of Defense (DOD) ADNI

Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to have a greater associated risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The purpose of DOD ADNI is to examine the possible connections between TBI and PTSD, and the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease on Veterans as they age. The results of the DOD ADNI study will lead to greater efforts to develop treatment and prevention studies to help reduce these long-term effects of TBI and PTSD injuries.

Funded by the Department of Defense (DOD), this study is the first step towards a larger, more comprehensive study of dementia risk factors in Veterans.

Objectives
  • Optimize, standardize and validate imaging/biomarkers for AD clinical trials
  • Determine biomarkers with high sensitivity to detect a change
  • Determine biomarkers which predict future change: identify AD pathology
  • Improve clinical AD trials
  • Provide data to all investigators
  • Create a worldwide network for clinical trials
Study Design

Vietnam War Veterans between the ages of 60-80 years will be identified and contacted using Veterans Affairs records. The enrollment goal is 195 participants divided into three study groups. This study excludes mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia subjects.

Study Participant Groups
  1. 65 moderate/severe TBI patients without PTSD
  2. 65 PTSD subjects without TBI
  3. 65 controls without PTSD or TBI, comparable to groups 1 and 2 in age, gender, and education
Resources
Data

ADNI will provide the following standardized data from enrolled participants. The following data will be available in the DOD ADNI Data Archive to qualified researchers:

  • Clinical and cognitive tests
  • AFQT, ASVAB
  • Medical history
  • Cerebral spinal fluid (including tau and phospho-tau levels)
  • Genetics blood test
  • MRI scans (min. 3T, and DTI processing on TBI subjects where available)
  • PET scans (using F18 Florbetapir, no FDG PET)
  • 1-year follow-up: all procedures repeated except for PET scan and lumbar puncture

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Participate in this study

If you are a Vietnam-era combat veteran suffering from TBI or PTSD and you are interested in participating in this study, please call 1-800-773-4883.

More information about DOD ADNI is available here.

Further Reading