Project Summary – Clinical Core (CC) The Clinical Core (CC) is critical to the function of the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (IADRC). A major emphasis is to identify and clinically characterize patients with preclinical and early symptomatic stages of AD, including early and late onset AD, as well as asymptomatic, early symptomatic, and affected individuals from families with hereditary AD, genetically distinct non-AD dementia, and the presently enrolled sporadic frontotemporal dementia cases. The CC will support NACC, NCRAD and other local, regional, national and international projects by obtaining and facilitating the banking and storage of neuroimaging data as well as blood, DNA, peripheral blood RNA, plasma, serum, CSF, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and postmortem brain samples from our research participants for further characterization by the Neuroimaging Core (NIC), Genetics, Biomarker, and Biospecimen Core (GBBC), Neuropathology Core (NPC) and the Data Management and Statistical Cores (DC). Patients from the CC will be offered as appropriate participation in ADNI, DIAN, LOAD, investigational drug trials and other local and multicenter research studies. In addition, we will collaborate with the Research Education Component (REC) and the Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement (OREC) Core to provide education and training opportunities to researchers and trainees at all levels and to educate and support affected participants, family members, and the community at large.
Project Summary – Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core (OREC) The OREC of the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (IADRC) plays a key role in achieving the goals of the IADRC through its community outreach and recruitment activities. It also serves as an educational resource on AD and related dementias for healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, and family members living in Indiana, neighboring regions, and beyond. As increasing numbers of older adults experience late life cognitive impairment and associated challenges, outreach in our local and statewide community is crucial to inform them and their families about the importance of early diagnosis, available treatment and management options, and the critically important role of participating in research at the IADRC. The OREC has developed numerous important relationships with health professionals and aging-related organizations throughout the state, which increase the visibility and reach of our programs. The IADRC and the OREC have had great success in increasing research participation in the African American community and other underrepresented participant groups who are or may be at higher risk for AD and related dementias. The IADRC understands the importance of building rapport and trusting relationships with community members, health care and social service providers. The OREC will build on its successfully developed foundation of community-based collaboration over the past 30 years. The OREC has three overall goals: Outreach--to promote the understanding of brain health and neurodegenerating diseases in Indiana, neighboring regions and beyond; Recruitment--to facilitate recruitment of research participants to the IADRC and related research studies; and Retention—to retain research participants in the IADRC and related research studies. Our outreach programs greatly impact the increasing awareness of dementing disorders, which in turn, increase the likelihood of participation in the IADRC, providing support to the National Alzheimer’s Plan Act (NAPA) goal of preventing and effectively treating AD by 2025.
