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: | Michelle Dunk |
| Institution: | University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee |
| Department: | Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet |
| Country: | |
| Proposed Analysis: | I am interested in using ADNI data to investigate the potential relationship between total blood cholesterol (and LDL cholesterol, if available) with APOE genotype, diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, presence of amyloid, tau, and phosphorylated tau (PET and CSF), and neuropsychological function. I would like to compare these variables between healthy controls, participants diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, as well as MCI. This is inspired by prior findings that those with the e4 allele may have impaired cholesterol metabolism, whereas e2 carriers seem to have the most efficient cholesterol metabolism, leading to differential levels of blood cholesterol (highest cholesterol in e4 carriers, lowest in e2 carriers). Prior studies also suggest that elevated blood cholesterol is associated with an imbalance of oxysterols (particularly 24- and 27-hydroxycholesterol) in the blood, CSF, and, brain, potentially triggering amyloid and tau pathology, and thus Alzheimer's disease. I would therefore like to analyze oxysterols as well, if available. I would expect that e4 APOE allele carriers are more likely to have elevated blood cholesterol than e3 carriers, and that e2 carriers will have the least occurrence of elevated blood cholesterol. However, those with elevated blood cholesterol (regardless of APOE genotype), are expected to have greater presence of amyloid, tau, and phosphorylated tau, poorer neuropsychological/cognitive function, more symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or perhaps MCI. Given that use of statin medication may prevent elevated blood cholesterol in all allele carriers, I would also like to control for statin use (if reported in medication information/medical history). |
| Additional Investigators |
