The UAB Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

Article Submitted by UAB Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC). Please contact us at 205-934-1668 or adbrain@uab.edu. Visit our website at www.uab.edu/adc.

Today's research will provide the answers that will improve the lives of our children and of our children's children. An estimated 4.5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease (AD). But by the year 2050, there will be as many as 14 million individuals in our country with this devastating disease.

Finding a treatment that could delay the onset of AD symptoms by just five years could reduce the number of individuals with the disease by nearly 50% over the next fifty years. It is therefore crucial to understand the role research plays in expanding scientific knowledge, providing new treatment options, and helping to eliminate suffering.

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) was established in 1991 through funding from the National Institute on Aging. During our fifteen year history, we have sought to provide the very best in diagnosis, treatment, and care to thousands of older patients and families living in Alabama and nearby states like Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana. Over the years, many of these same patients and families have generously agreed to participate in a range of research studies at UAB that have helped the field better understand and treat this devastating disease. The families and patients who come to our Center are our partners as we seek to unravel the mysteries of Alzheimer's and create a world without this disease.

The mission of the UAB Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) is to advance our knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. There are a number of exciting developments underway at the Center. We are participating in important national studies, minority recruitment and research activities are expanding, and Parkinson's disease dementia has been included as an area of special interest.

A participant in the ADRC may receive many different benefits from participating in our research efforts. Participants can expect to receive annual physical and neurological examinations by a clinician who is an expert in memory disorders. Participants also have the benefit of a detailed mental status exam involving paper and pencil testing that will assist in diagnosis and monitoring of a memory disorder. Participants also receive some modest compensation for each of their annual visits. The ADRC provides the very best in clinical care, research and education for patients and families with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

As we prepare for the challenges of the 21st century, our Center serves as an important resource to the state and to the southeast region as a whole. Please consider participating in our mission. We are seeking healthy middle aged and older adults, and also individuals with mild cognitive impairment, mild Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.