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MIRAGE

The Multi-Institutional Research in Alzheimer's Genetic Epidemiology (MIRAGE) study has been funded by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) since 1990 and has demonstrated that genetic factors play a major role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The research has shown:

  • APOE ε4 allele to be the strongest risk factor identified thus far
  • A confirmation of the risk of early life depression
  • And exploration of the protective effect of statins
  • Whether risk factors in African Americans are similar or different from Caucasians

In the third phase of this study, researchers continue to evaluate genetic and non-genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. There is a particular emphasis on exploring whether risk factors for vascular disease are also contributing risk factors for AD. It is hoped that by obtaining neuroimaging data from 1000 families, these associations can be better understood.

Who is Eligible to Participate?

Your family is eligible to participate if:

  • You have a living family member diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (the patient).
  • The patient has a living brother or sister (sibling) who is willing to participate.

What Happens at the Visits?

  • Family members will be asked to complete a family medical history questionnaire about the patient’s relatives. This can be done in person or over the telephone.
  • Caregiver (on behalf of the patient) and sibling will be asked to respond to a brief questionnaire about medical history in person or over the telephone.
  • Sibling will be asked to take a brief cognitive test over the telephone.
  • Patient and sibling will be asked to donate a small amount of blood for genetic testing.
  • Patient and sibling will be asked to have MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). MRI is a routine part of patient’s clinical evaluation. The study will pay the cost of sibling’s MRI and a clinical reading will be sent to sibling’s primary care physician, if desired.

Where is the Study Taking Place?

Boston University School of Medicine (Boston, MA)
Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
Cornell Medical University (New York, NY)
Howard University (Washington, DC)
Indiana University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, IN)
Morehouse School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA)
Mt. Sinai Medical Center (Miami Beach, FL)
Pacific Health Research Institute (Honolulu, HI)
G. Papanicolaou Hospital (Thessaloniki, Greece)
Sun Health Research Institute (Sun City, AZ)
Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center (Downey, CA)
Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany)
University of Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
University of British Columbia (Canada)
University of California, Davis (Sacramento, CA)

How Can I Find Out More?

Please call Michael Wake at the toll-free number: 866-638-5040. (Email: mirage@bu.edu)

Key Personnel

Lindsay A. Farrer, Ph.D - Project Director

Robert C. Green, M.D., M.P.H. - Associate Director

L. Adrienne Cupples, Ph.D - Co-Investigator

Clinton Baldwin, Ph.D -Co-Investigator

Sanford Auerbach, M.D. - Co-Investigator

Michael Wake , MSW - Project Manager

Study Publications

Cuenco KR, Green RC, Zhang J, Lunetta K, Erlich PM, Cupples LA, Farrer LA, DeCarli C:  Magnetic resonance imaging traits in siblings discordant for Alzheimer disease.  Journal of Neuroimaging, in press.

Mintzer JE, Faison WE, Schultz SK, Aerssens J, Alvidrez J, Anand R, Buckholtz N, Farrer LA, Ford M, Jarvik L, Manly J, McRae T, Murphy, Jr, G, Olin J, Ortiz-De Jesus F, Regier D, Sano M. Potential ethnic modifiers in the assessment and treatment of Alzheimer's disease: challenges for the future. International Psychogeriatrics. April 2007. [PubMed].

Lunetta KL, Erlich PM, Cuenco KT, Cupples LA, Green RC, Farrer LA, DeCarli C:  Heritability of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Traits in Alzheimer Disease Cases and Their Siblings in the MIRAGE Study.  Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, 21(2):85-91, 2007. [PubMed]

Akomolafe A, Lunetta KL, Erlich PM, Cupples LA, Baldwin CT, Huyck M, Green RC, Farrer LA:  Genetic association between endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS3) and Alzheimer disease. Clinical Genetics, 70:49-56, 2006. [PDF]

Erlich PM, Lunetta KL, Cupples LA, Huyck M, Green RC, Baldwin CT, Farrer LA:  Polymorphisms in the PON gene cluster are associated with Alzheimer disease.  Human Molecular Genetics, 15:77-85, 2006. [PDF]

Tsai DH, Green RC, Benke KS, Silliman RA, Farrer LA:Predictors of subjective memory complaint in cognitively normal relatives of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.  Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 18:384-388, 2006. [PDF]

Green RC, McNagny SE, Jayakumar P, Cupples LA, Benke K, Farrer LA:  Statin use and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2:96-103, 2006. [PDF]

Yip AG, McKee AC, Green RC, Wells J, Young H, Cupples LA, Farrer LA. APOE, vascular pathology and the AD brain. Neurology 2005; 65: 259-65. [PDF]  

Yip AG, Green RC, Huyck M, Cupples LA, Farrer LA, for the MIRAGE Study Group. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and Alzheimer disease risk: The MIRAGE Study. BMC Geriatrics 2005; 12:2. [PDF]

Henderson VW, Benke KS, Green RC, Cupples LA, Farrer LA, for the MIRAGE Study Group. Postmenopausal estrogen therapy and Alzheimer disease risk: interaction with age. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2005; 76:103-105. [PDF]

Saleh M, Vaillancourt JP, Graham RK, Huyck M, Srinivasula SM, Alnemri ES, Steinberg MH, Nolan V, Baldwin CT, Hotchkiss RS, Buchman TG, Zehnbauer BA, Hayden MR, Farrer LA, Roy S, Nicholson DW. Differential modulation of endotoxin responsiveness by human caspase-12 polymorphs. Nature 2004; 429:75-79. [PDF] 

Roberts JS, Barber M, Brown T, Cupples LA, Farrer LA, LaRusse S, Post SG, Quaid K, Ravdin L, Relkin N, Sadovnick D, Whitehouse P J, Woodard J, Green RC. Who seeks genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease? Findings from a multi-site, randomized clinical trial. Genetics in Medicine 2004; 6:197-203. [PDF]

Cupples LA, Farrer LA, Sadovnick, AD, Relkin N, Whitehouse P, Green RC. Estimating risk curves for first-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer’s disease: the REVEAL Study. Genetics in Medicine 2004; 6:192-196. [PDF]

Roberts JS, LaRusse SA, Katzen H, Post SG, Whitehouse PJ, Barber M, Quaid K, Pietrzak R, Cupples LA, Farrer LA, Brown T, Green RC. Reasons for seeking genetic susceptibility testing among first-degree relatives of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders 2003; 17:86-93. [PDF]

Roberts JS, Connell CM, Cisewski D, Hipps YG, Demissie S, Green RC. Differences between African Americans and Whites in their perceptions of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders 2003; 17:19-26. [PDF]

Kennedy JL, Farrer LA, Andreasen NC, Mayeux R, St. George-Hyslop. The genetics of common adult-set neuropsychiatric disease: complexities and conundra? Science 2003; 302: 822-826. [PDF]

Hipps YG, Roberts JS, Farrer LA, Green RC. Differences between African American and Whites in their attitudes toward genetic testing for Alzheimer disease. Genetic Testing 2003; 7:39-44. [PDF]

Green, RC, Cupples LA, Kurz A, Auerbach S, Go R, Sadovnick D, Duara R, DeCarli C, Kukull W, Chui H, Edeki R, Griffith P, Friedland RP, Bachman D, Farrer LA. Depression as a risk factor for Alzheimer disease: the MIRAGE study. Archives of Neurology 2003; 60:753-759. [PDF]

Guo Z, Cupples LA, Kurz A, Auerbach SH, Volicer L, Chui H, Green RC, et al:  Head injury and the risk of Alzheimer disease in the MIRAGE study.  Neurology 54:1316-1323, 2000. [PDF]

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