Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Clinical Program
Core B: Clinical Core
This program follows older adults (healthy, with mild memory problems, or with Alzheimer’s and related dementias) with yearly exams, brain scans, blood tests, and memory testing to track changes over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P30 center grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11378128 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would be part of a group of about 500 people who come back once a year for a detailed check-up of thinking, behavior, and daily function. You would have a medical and neurologic exam, memory and cognitive tests, blood draws for routine labs and biomarker/DNA samples, and brain MRI, with some people also having PET scans. The program includes healthy older adults, people with mild cognitive impairment, and people with Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative or vascular cognitive problems, and aims for at least 20% Latino participants. Visits are conducted at UC San Diego and recruitment focuses on San Diego County and nearby parts of Orange and Riverside counties, and some procedures such as a lumbar puncture are optional if you agree.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 65 or older from San Diego or nearby counties who are willing to have yearly visits, cognitive testing, blood draws, imaging, and optional procedures like lumbar puncture, and who may be cognitively normal, have mild cognitive impairment, or have Alzheimer’s or related dementias.
Not a fit: People under age 65 or those unwilling to attend annual clinic visits, have blood draws or brain imaging, or decline longitudinal follow-up are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could improve understanding of how dementia starts and progresses and help lead to better diagnosis, prevention, and treatments for older adults.
How similar studies have performed: Longitudinal clinical cohorts and other Alzheimer’s research programs have successfully identified biomarkers and patterns of progression, and this program builds on that established approach.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Galasko, Douglas R — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Galasko, Douglas R
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.