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Nevada exploratory Alzheimer’s disease research center: Advancing dementia care in rural communities
Author(s) -
Sabbagh Marwan Noel,
Ritter Aaron,
Cummings Jeffrey L.,
Wint Dylan,
Decourt Boris,
Wong Christina G,
Caldwell Jessica ZK,
Kinney Jefferson W,
Carriere Lucille,
Cordes Dietmar,
Fulkerson Nadia,
Almoraissi Abla,
Mandarino LeeAnn,
Hartley Katurah,
Shan Guogen,
Miller Justin B,
John Samantha E,
Lombardo Joseph
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1002/alz.051081
Subject(s) - dementia , rural area , gerontology , disease , medicine , exploratory research , cohort , alzheimer's disease , population , rural health , environmental health , pathology , sociology , anthropology
Background People with MCI and AD living in rural areas represent an understudied and underserved population in the broader AD landscape. Very little works have been done on rural cohorts by NIA‐designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) in the past. The Nevada Exploratory ADRC (NVeADRC) is specifically set to study AD and related dementias in rural individuals, and to systematically generate novel data on the clinical features of AD, clinical outcomes, and social determinants of health. Method The leading scientific objectives of the NVeADRC are to: 1) understand the occurrence of AD and optimize treatment in underserved rural settings; 2) examine risk factors associated with the development of AD in rural areas; and 3) evaluate the trajectories and progression of AD in rural versus urban communities. The NVeADRC will deploy a top‐down strategy to: 1) establish a network of stakeholders and medical partners to increase awareness of dementia in rural communities and enroll rural participants in our research cohort; 2) develop a research enterprise for longitudinal studies on dementia in rural populations; 3) progressively implement a research infrastructure rooted in technology to facilitate standardized clinical data collection from patients in rural areas. Result The data collected will be part of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) and shared with the larger scientific community to ultimately to improve healthcare for patients in rural areas. Target recruitment for the NVeADRC include 20 Mild Cognitive Impairment, 40 dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease and 40 cognitively normal subjects. In addition to the Uniform Data Set 3.0, we intend to collect volumetric MRI, biofluids (blood, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid), as well as, a series of both static and dynamic social determinants of health on study subjects and their partners. All participants will be followed to voluntary withdrawal or autopsy. Conclusion The NVeADRC represents a unique, high impact entity within the ADRC network, and will generate high‐quality biomedical data that advance AD/ADRD research on individuals living in underserved rural communities. As we grow our project, we intend to share biospecimens and data with the scientific community.