Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is a $60 million, 5-year public-private
partnership overseen by the National Institute on Aging.
The ADNI study plans to enroll 800 participants
to test whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
positron emission tomography (PET) and other clinical
and neuropsychological measures can be combined
to better understand the progression of Alzheimer’s
disease (AD). Neuroimaging research has suggested
that PET or MRI may serve as a more sensitive and
consistent measure of disease progression than the
neuropsychological and cognitive assessments now
typically used in research and clinical practice.
“ADNI is an exciting study that will enable us to
make a real impact in treating AD, by helping us
identify people as early as possible in the course of
the disease,” said Dr. Robert C. Green, Co-Principal
Investigator (PI) at the study’s BU site along with
neuroimaging expert Dr. Ron Killiany. BU will be one
of over 50 sites across the United States and Canada
enrolling participants starting this summer. Individuals
with and without memory problems who are
between the ages of 55-90 and are willing to have repeated
brain imaging and memory testing are encouraged
to contact Patrick Compton at 617-414-1196 or
pcompton@bu.edu to find out more about this new
opportunity.
Driving & Dementia: BU ADCRP and MIT AgeLab to Team
Up on a New Study for Caregivers
The BU ADCRP and the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) AgeLab are collaborating
on a new and exciting research study on driving and
dementia. The study is directed by Dr. Robert Stern
(Associate Director of the BU ADCRP), Dr. Joseph
Coughlin (Director of the MIT AgeLab), and Maureen
Mohyde, MS (Director of the Corporate Gerontology
Group at The Hartford). The project (which is
funded in part by the Hartford Insurance Company’s
Corporate Gerontology Group) will address one of
the most significant and challenging issues faced by
caregivers of individuals with dementia: the question
of when the person with dementia should limit or
stop driving, and how the caregiver should take action
around dementia and driving: “Giving up driving
can be a very difficult decision for the person with
dementia for many reasons, including the fear of loss
of independence, the lack of awareness of or insight into one’s own driving safety, and the lack of alternative
means of transportation, to name just a few,”
said Dr. Stern. “Caregivers often do not know if the
care recipient is unsafe to drive, and if they do think
that there are safety concerns, they may not know
how best to stop the care recipient from driving.”
The study is currently recruiting and will involve
small educational groups for caregivers aimed at
informing them about how to determine if their loved
one should continue to drive and how best to act on
the decision to have the loved one stop driving.
For more information, please contact Jenn Hunter at
617-414-1188 or Stacy Carruth at 617-414-1187.
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