Core A: University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Core Center

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Project Summary/Abstract: Administrative Core The ultimate goal of the UK-ADRC is to catalyze innovative and outstanding AD research while ensuring a more rapid rate of progress toward new therapies to delay or prevent AD, so that our human volunteers, patients and caregivers become the beneficiaries of our advances in knowledge. The Administrative Core provides the foundation, infrastructure, leadership, overall direction, strategic planning, and integration of all ADRC components to more rapidly achieve this goal and advance our overall theme: “Transitions from Normal to Late-Life Multi-Etiology Dementia”. This theme builds on our traditional strengths in defining mechanisms underlying the early changes that occur in individuals as they transition through the cognitive continuum, risk factors associated with these cognitive states, and how mixed pathology and co-morbidities influence risk and progression. Two historically outstanding resources of the UK-ADRC that enable research relevant to this theme are: 1) a strong autopsy program providing clinical-neuropathological correlation and very short (2-4 hrs) postmortem interval (PMI) research material, and 2) a unique, continuously replenished group of ~500 cognitively intact subjects followed longitudinally, together with another ~300 initially normal individuals who transition to pre-MCI, MCI or dementia, and all committed to brain autopsy upon death. These signature resources have contributed to our becoming one of the premier centers defining pathogenic mechanisms underlying the transitions from normal cognitive aging to the earliest stages of cognitive impairment. The UK- ADRC functions in a multidisciplinary, integrated, collaborative and supportive team science environment that catalyzes high-quality AD research within the UK community, region, nation, and beyond. We will continue to provide the infrastructure, resources and intellectual capital to enhance transdisciplinary research and scientific interactions, develop new collaborations and partnerships, contribute to national initiatives, and offer innovative education and training opportunities in the basic and clinical neurosciences. An effective Administrative Core is essential for transforming our goals into accomplishments. Therefore, the Core will continue to support the ability of our UK-ADRC to accomplish its goals, and to promote the NAPA research implementation milestones and goals, through the following specific aims. Aim 1: Provide leadership, administrative structure, coordination, and financial management to ensure optimal resource utilization to meet the overall goals of the UK-ADRC. Aim 2: Promote and catalyze clinical/translational research activities, maximize interactions with other departments and centers, and foster new avenues of innovative research. Aim 3: Solicit, review, select, and monitor the Developmental Projects. Aim 4: Contribute to and interact with other ADRCs and other national collaborative activities and increase visibility in the local and national community.