Center for Alzheimer's and Related Dementias (CARD): Collaboration with the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

National Institute On Aging

Investigators

Abstract

The CARD-REGARDS collaboration represents a strategic partnership to advance understanding of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia through comprehensive genetic and longitudinal data analysis. The REGARDS study, with its unique focus on geographic and racial differences in stroke outcomes, provides an exceptional platform for investigating VCID mechanisms across diverse populations. VCID represents a significant public health challenge, particularly affecting populations with high cardiovascular disease burden. The REGARDS study's longitudinal design, spanning over a decade with mid-life baseline assessments, offers unprecedented opportunities to identify early markers and modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline. The collaboration has achieved significant milestones in genetic data processing, with 12,731 samples successfully processed on the Neurobooster Array platform and quality controlled. Data harmonization efforts have integrated REGARDS controls with GP2 datasets, enhancing the statistical power for genetic analyses. Comprehensive data transfer protocols have facilitated the movement of longitudinal clinical, cognitive, and genotype data from 30,000 individuals to CARD's secure infrastructure. All processed data are securely stored and accessible through dedicated cloud infrastructure (https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/browser/regards_data), ensuring data integrity and facilitating collaborative research access and sharing on Terra via the GP2 initiative underway. Regular REGARDS Cognitive Workgroup meetings and dedicated CARD/REGARDS collaboration sessions maintain project momentum and coordination. Planning is underway for a new cohort expansion, with contracts being established for DNA extraction and shipping of samples from an additional 12,000 participants, scheduled to begin enrollment in January 2026. This collaboration enhances data democratization and inclusion of minority populations in neurodegenerative disease research. The integration of CARD's data analytics resources with REGARDS' rich longitudinal dataset will accelerate discovery of genetic and environmental factors contributing to VCID. Data generation is expected to be completed by Fall 2026, with ongoing analytical support from CARD's bioinformatics team. The project's emphasis on social determinants of health, combined with robust genetic data, positions it to identify novel intervention targets and contribute to precision medicine approaches for VCID prevention and treatment.