New Alzheimer's Study Seeks To Find Earliest Clues To Disease Progression

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 26 Aug 2010 - 0:00 PDT

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Today, 5.3 million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD), and every 70 seconds, another person develops this devastating disease. These numbers will continue to increase with our aging population unless new prevention and treatment strategies are discovered. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) may help provide some answers. This two-year, $24 million study -- the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity (ADNI GO) -- focuses for the first time on people experiencing the very earliest complaints of memory problems that affect their daily activities. ADNI GO expands on the groundbreaking Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and will continue efforts to identify biomarkers that can help build a greater understanding of the progression of AD.

"ADNI GO is helping us determine the sequence and timing of events at the initial onset of mild symptoms," said Paul Aisen, M.D., director of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS). "It is our hope that this research will enable us to better identify who is at risk, as well as the effectiveness of potential prevention and treatment strategies."

Many people view memory loss as an unavoidable aspect of aging, but memory loss that disrupts daily life is not a normal part of growing older. ADNI GO researchers are looking for participants between the ages of 55 and 90 who are otherwise healthy, but may be experiencing signs of early stage of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a condition that may lead to Alzheimer's disease.

"We cannot end this terrible disease unless we know more about it," said Dr. Aisen. "That is where the amazing volunteers, their friends and their families can make the difference in our success."

Source:
ADNI GO

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