NIH R01 AG054491

Dementia is a growing problem in the US and worldwide. The lack of effective treatment or preventive strategies for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, has led to an increasing mortality rate and soaring medical costs. Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is also highly prevalent in older adults, and new evidence suggests it may be associated with AD and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but prospective validation is lacking. We propose to prospectively study the role of ICAD and its progression in the development of cognitive decline, MCI and dementia, in particular AD.

Dr. Wasserman is part of two cardiovascular cohort studies, ARIC--Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and MESA--Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Both are sponsored by the NIH's National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.