The DDID, directed by Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, is a collaboration/partnership among Pennsylvania universities, private companies, and community organizations serving the elderly. The center will

1. screen for cognitive impairment in the community, especially the medically underserved, using person-friendly automated testing;
2. determine dementia diagnosis with positron emission tomography (PET) using the amyloid imaging ligand “Pittsburgh Compound B” (PIB) & computer analysis of magnetic resonance (MR) images that may aid in diagnosis; and
3. examine biological samples for biomarkers of diagnosis and disease severity, using cutting-edge techniques to do drug discovery in novel cell-based systems to identify new treatments for dementia.

The primary purpose of the center is to develop and implement effective ways of screening the elderly population for cognitive impairment using a simple and non-threatening tablet computer for testing. Normal cases and cases with suspected cognitive impairment will be referred to the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) for thorough evaluation to validate the accuracy of the computerized screening technique. Populations targeted for assessment and determination of norms will include subjects from rural areas of southwestern Pennsylvania, African-Americans, and a standard volunteer control group in the ADRC. Associated cutting-edge detection and diagnosis techniques will be utilized with this population, including positron emission tomography (PET) scans of fluorodioxyglucose (FDG) for energy activity in the brain and Pittsburgh Compound B, which labels deposits of beta amyloid, the protein deposited in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Finally, the MR scans performed as part of the evaluation, will undergo analysis by a new Carnegie-Mellon University Robotics Institute technique termed future learning. In preliminary studies, this technique appears to classify people into categories of normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or AD by analysis of a single, one-time scan.

The basic research aspects involve development of a high-speed throughput analysis technique to find characteristic diagnostic signatures in alteration of tau protein, a key protein significantly altered in AD and leading to neuronal death. In addition to utilizing these live cell assays to develop diagnostic tests, they will be developed to detect compounds which would interfere with the pathological changes and lead to more effective therapies. High throughput screening of biochemical compounds will also be achieved using the most up-to-date robotic techniques to screen thousands of compounds for diagnostic tests or new lead compounds with which to treat AD. Finally, detection of a biomarker that represents an oxidized lipid will be explored. Biological samples from MCI, AD and normal subjects will be utilized to develop a specific signature for altered lipids in AD with the intention of finding a diagnostic marker or a presymptomatic disease marker in those who would go on to develop AD. These studies will also attempt to replicate other reported oxidized lipid markers to strengthen knowledge in this important area. All the basic research aims will exchange promising compounds and samples to maximize the ability to detect novel diagnostic tests and potential interventions.