Core H: Latino Core

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ABSTRACT - LATINO CORE The Rush Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (Rush ADCC; P30AG10161) supports the performance of innovative research on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AD and related conditions, by providing researchers with a stimulating inter-disciplinary environment, and unique and highly valued clinical and post-mortem data, and biologic specimens. The Rush ADCC has eight cores that support a variety of timely and important areas of research including risk factors for the transition from normal aging to MCI to AD, the neurobiology of normal aging and MCI, and the use of contemporary omics technologies to identify novel therapeutic targets. The Rush ADCC has enrolled large numbers of Blacks and Whites without dementia into the Clinical and Religious Orders Study Cores. Although the Latino community has not been a major focus, considerable progress in the Latino community to date has set the stage for the Latino Core. The overall goal of the Latino Core, funded in August, 2015, is to enroll and follow older Latinos free of dementia at baseline, and generate data and ante- and post-mortem biospecimens, to support high quality, cutting edge, externally-funded studies that focus on the full spectrum of cognition. These goals will be addressed with four Specific Aims designed to enhance the Rush ADCC and the wider ADC research community: Aim 1 is to recruit and enroll older Latinos without dementia who agree to annual, detailed clinical evaluations and the collection of ante-mortem biologic specimens. Aim 2 is to conduct uniform structured baseline and annual follow-up evaluations, including neurological examinations and neuropsychological and motor performance testing, of community-dwelling Latinos, and apply uniform diagnostic criteria for incident AD and MCI, and harmonize data collection with the Religious Orders Study Core and the Clinical Core to facilitate health disparities research. Aim 3 is to integrate innovative and culturally tailored educational programs into the clinical evaluation to increase awareness of the importance of brain and spinal cord autopsy in Latinos and to facilitate a high autopsy rate with a short post-mortem interval; and harvest and preserve brain tissue in a fashion that retains maximum flexibility to support a diverse array of studies. Aim 4 is to increase the capacity to conduct externally-funded research, including studies that incorporate contemporary biochemical and molecular techniques and clinical trials, by providing an environment and resources to facilitate the inclusion of subjects, clinical data, and post-mortem tissue into research projects and to provide training opportunities for junior faculty.