Program Initiatives

Alzheimer's Disease Centers (ADCs)

Important clinico-pathological correlational studies relating changes of brain structure to normal and abnormal aging and to different stages of Alzheimer's disease are being conducted in many ADCs. These studies use patients enrolled in the clinical cores, imaging supported by imaging cores, and autopsy evaluation in neuropathology cores.

National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)

Information about NACC, which facilitates collaborative research among the ADCs and maintains a database of information collected by the ADCs regarding patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls.

Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)

Information about ADCS, the major initiative for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials in the Federal government, addressing treatments for both cognitive and behavioral symptoms. ADCS is part of the Division of Neuroscience’s effort to facilitate the discovery, development, and testing of new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and it also is part of the Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative.

Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Initiative

NIA is accelerating the search for genes involved in Alzheimer's disease with the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Initiative. Also, see the Sharing Policy and Guidance for Research on the Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease (revised April 2007).

Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)

A public-private partnership, the purpose of ADNI is to develop a multisite, longitudinal, prospective, naturalistic study of normal cognitive aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and early Alzheimer's disease as a public domain research resource to facilitate the scientific evaluation of neuroimaging and other biomarkers for the onset and progression of MCI and Alzheimer's disease.

Cognitive and Emotional Health Project: The Healthy Brain

Link to the Healthy Brain Project, which assesses the state of longitudinal and epidemiological research on demographic, social, and biologic determinants of cognitive and emotional health in aging adults and the pathways by which cognitive and emotional health may reciprocally influence each other.