Clinical Core

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/ABSTRACT – CLINICAL CORE The Clinical Core will serve as the focal point of the Mayo ADRC. The Clinical Core of the Mayo ADRC has been among the leaders among Alzheimer's Disease Centers in recruiting and retaining participants. The Mayo ADRC has focused and will continue to focus on imaging in the Alzheimer spectrum (AD), the genetics, imaging and natural history of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) group of disorders and the imaging, associated features (sleep, Parkinsonism, hallucinations, etc) and natural history of Lewy Body disorders (LBD) spectrum (FTLD and LDB collectively the Alzheimer's disease related disorders “ADRD”). For each of these etiologic entities, Mayo investigators hold NIH grants, in part due to the ADRC that utilize the ADRC participant pool. Over the last cycle of funding, we have greatly expanded the number of participants, including African Americans, who have undergone amyloid PET imaging. Moreover in the last grant cycle, we introduced tau PET imaging as well in the MCR group, and we will do so soon in MCF. There are many synergies that arise from our concurrent interest in AD and ADRD both for clinical characterization, but also for biomarker evaluations, and basic science commonalities. The Clinical Core diagnostic and evaluative activities will take place in both MCR and MCF, and the data derived from the evaluation schemes are entered into a single database. The core procedures of the UDS3 are carried out according to NACC guidelines, and additional evaluations specific to our programs are also conducted. All patients and controls undergo a standardized series of interviews, examinations and biomarkers studies over 2-3 days. All participants are seen by a neuropsychologist and neurologist. Our Specific Aims are to (1) Recruit, follow and supply to other projects, patients with AD spectrum disorders; (2) Recruit, follow and supply to other projects patients, in the ADRD spectrum; (3) Recruit African-Americans with above disorders (collaborating with ORE Core); (4) Obtain DNA, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (collaborating with Biomarker Core) and multimodal imaging (Collaborating with Neuroimaging Core) on participants; and (5) Obtain autopsies on Clinical Core participants (collaborating with Neuropathology Core).