CORE--CLINICAL &DATA MANAGEMENT

University Of Arkansas Med Scis Ltl Rock, Little Rock AR

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Dementia is a major public health problem, yet large gaps exist in our knowledge of its pathogenesis, natural history, effective treatment and management, and the types of community serves that best meet the needs of patients and caregivers. The propose University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (ADCC) offers a broad range of expertise in basic, clinical, and health services research that will exploration of issues along the entire continuum of pre- clinical, clinical, and services integration. Established AD research programs in management of disruptive behaviors, improvement of functioning, and service utilization will continue. New areas of clinical and areas AD research will open because UAMS has access to understudied populations, including persons who live in rural areas, African-Americans, families who are economically disadvantaged, and adults with medical co-morbidities, especially vascular disease. The Clinical Core will be responsible for recruiting, retaining, and assessing a cohort of 200 patients with AD or related dementias and 200 age- and sex-matched controls. The Clinical Core also will ensure adequate representation of rural (25% of sample) patients and controls by using or developing culturally sensitive recruitment and care practices. Further, the Clinical Core will contain the Data Management Group for the proposed UAMS ADCC and provide technical, methodological, and biostatistical support for all UAMS ADCC investigators. These activities, structures, and mechanisms will facilitate the research of individual UAMS, interdisciplinary research among UAMS investigators, collaborations between UAMS and outside investigators, projects with other Alzheimer's Disease Centers across the US, and ultimately the work of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center and the National Institute on Aging.