PREDICTORS OF COGNITIVE DECLINE IN NORMAL AGING

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The aim of this research is to identify a reliable marker that predicts cognitive impairment and progressive brain damage in the elderly. Specifically, atrophy of the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices of the hippocampus will be evaluated by MRI as an early marker of hippocampal atrophy and memory decline. Two groups of medically healthy elderly subjects will be studied; one group will be carriers of the ApoE4 allele. A third group will be normal healthy volunteers 20-30 years of age. Clinical evaluations, a neuropsychological battery and Alzheimer's-associated cognitive deficits will be evaluated at baseline, 18 and 36 months. MRIs will be done at 18 and 36 months to evaluate hippocampal pathology. Using this population, the following hypotheses will be tested: 1) In those at risk for Alzheimer¿'s, is there a temporal sequence of atrophy of the hippocampus, with EC length change preceding hippocampal volume loss, which precedes temporal lobe atrophy? 2) Is EC length a predictor of longitudinal memory, and can this be used to classify patients into normal and minimally cognitively impaired? 3) In those carrying the ApoE4 allele, does evidence of baseline hippocampus atrophy predict a greater memory decline? Findings from this study may enhance our ability to detect subjects at risk for Alzheimer¿¿s disease (AD). Results thus far have demonstrated the importance of serial brain imaging and image processing in monitoring the early course of memory decline leading to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD.