Imagine a World without Alzheimer’s: New NIH Study is Currently Recruiting Participants

Imagine a World without Alzheimer’s: New NIH Study is Currently Recruiting Participants

by RICHARD SHANK on OCTOBER 21, 2010

Researchers from around the country are collaborating on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Grand Opportunity (ADNI GO) study. ADNI GO, a landmark research study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is examining the sequence and timing of events at the initial onset of mild cognitive symptoms. It may help scientists better identify who is at risk for AD, as well as the effectiveness of potential prevention and treatment strategies. Specifically, researchers are looking for volunteers between the ages of 55 and 90 who may be transitioning from normal cognitive aging to an early stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that may progress to Alzheimer’s disease. This two-year, $24 million study focuses for the first time on people experiencing the very earliest complaints of memory problems that affect their daily activities. ADNI GO expands on the groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind to date, and will continue efforts to identify biomarkers that can help build a greater understanding of the progression of AD.

More than 5.1 million Americans age 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and that number is expected to increase to 13.5 million by 2050. These numbers will only continue to grow with our aging population unless new prevention and treatment strategies are discovered. As you well know, Alzheimer’s disease research is becoming more urgent than ever.

We have included this on our blog in the hopes that readers will pass it along to potential participants or organizations who might be able to partner with the researchers.

“Imagine a world without Alzheimer’s” is the theme of the ADNI GO study recruitment campaign and they are honored to have Maya Angelou, noted poet and author, supporting their recruitment efforts by participating in radio and print public service announcements.

More information about the study is available at http://www.adcs.org/Studies/ImagineADNI.aspx. The website contains more detailed information about the study, newsletters providing updates on the project, and contact information for research sites near you.