Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research

描述(申请人提供)：佛罗里达州估计有43万阿尔茨海默氏症患者，坦帕湾和迈阿密/戴德县地区有大量不同种族的阿尔茨海默氏症患者，而且人数还在不断增加。事实上，就人口而言，佛罗里达州是美国第四大州，也是阿尔茨海默病患者总数第二大的州。显然，佛罗里达州将是建立NIA资助的阿尔茨海默病研究中心(ADRC)的理想地点。然而，这样的总部位于佛罗里达州的ADRC并不存在。因此，一组研究人员S和来自全州各地的医生联合起来，为本申请中描述的佛罗里达州ADRC(FADRC)设计并寻求资金。拟议的FADRC的总体目标由三个项目代表，这三个项目旨在： 1.为了更好地了解从正常到MCI再到AD的转变过程，确定临床、流行病学、影像、神经心理学和生物标记物的哪些组合最能识别那些将经历AD或其他痴呆疾病认知快速下降的个体。 2.探讨认知康复对MCI和早期AD患者疾病进展的干预和延缓能力。 3.使用AD小鼠模型来确定环境丰富(包括认知康复)的哪些方面最适合减缓或逆转认知损害，并可能类似地适用于人类患者。 这些项目是相互支持和协同的，因为项目1中发现的标记可以用来衡量成功和/或区分项目2中的人群，而项目3中获得的模型结果可以用来帮助确定哪种类型的干预可能在人类中最成功。这三个项目得到了5个核心的支持--临床、数据管理、神经病理学、教育以及老鼠行为和神经病理学。FADRC设计中固有的协同作用的最终结果可能是开发一种新的治疗干预措施，可以减缓疾病的临床病程。 为了帮助计划中的FADRC的发展、管理和财政支持，佛罗里达州立法机构于2002年在南佛罗里达大学校园内建立并资助了约翰尼·B·伯德阿尔茨海默氏症中心和研究所。伯德研究所的资金和人员将在州与联邦的合作中用于补充NIA赠款，这将有助于确保拟议的FADRC取得成功。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are an estimated 430,000 Alzheimer's disease patients in Florida, with the Tampa Bay and Miami/Dade County areas having a large, ethnically diverse and growing population with this illness. Indeed, Florida is the fourth largest state in the country in terms of population, and the second largest in total number of Alzheimer's disease patients. Clearly Florida would be ideal place to site an NIA-funded Alzheimer's disease Research Center (ADRC). Yet no such Florida-based ADRC exists. Therefore, a group of researcher s and physicians from across the state have joined together to design and seek funding for the Florida ADRC (FADRC) described in this application. The general goals of the proposed FADRC are represented by the three Projects which aim: 1. To better understand the process of transition from normal to MCI to AD by determining which combinations of clinical, epidemiologic, imaging, neuropsychological, and biological markers best identify individuals who will experience a rapid rate of cognitive decline toward AD or other dementing illnesses. 2. To investigate the ability of cognitive rehabilitation to intervene in and slow disease progression in MCI and early AD patients. 3. To use mouse models of AD to determine which aspects of environmental enrichment (including cognitive rehabilitation) best slow or reverse cognitive impairment and might be similarly applied to human patients. These projects are mutually supportive and synergistic because markers found in Project 1 can be used to measure success and/or to distinguish populations in Project 2, and model results obtained in Project 3 can be used to help decide which type of intervention may be most successful in humans. The three projects are supported by 5 Cores- Clinical, Data Management, Neuropathology, Education, and Mouse Behavior and Neuropathology. The end result of the synergy inherent in the design of the FADRC may be the development a novel therapeutic intervention that can slow the clinical course of the disease. To aid in the development, administration and financial support of the planned FADRC, in 2002, the Florida Legislature established and funded the Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute on the campus of the University of South Florida. Byrd Institute funds and personnel will be used to supplement the NIA grant in a State-Federal collaboration that will help assure the success of the proposed FADRC.