The Center for Dementia Research (CDR) is a consortium of independent laboratories and research programs at the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI). Directed by Ralph A. Nixon, Ph.D., M.D., the CDR comprises over 15 principal investigators and 60 staff and is dedicated to studies on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other major neurodegenerative diseases. Affiliated with New York University School of Medicine, NKI is one of two major institutes for psychiatric research supported in part by the Office of Mental Health of the State of New York.
A major emphasis of the CDR is "translational" research, which is aimed at understanding the molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative states (e.g. Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington disease (HD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), stroke, etc.) in order to develop accurate animal models, which are then used to devise new strategies for early diagnosis (e.g. neuroimaging, biomarker identification) and treatment. For example, Center investigators are currently active in some of the first studies identifying cholesterol-lowering drugs and estrogens as potential Alzheimer therapies; they are also evaluating b-amyloid "vaccine" approaches and other b-amyloid-depletion strategies for Alzheimer treatment. Collaborations in the CDR with researchers at NKI’s Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (CABI) have yielded the first images of the brain in transgenic mice modeling the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. The sensitive detection of pathology in animal models has provided the basis for new neuro-imaging approaches to characterize patients with mild cognitive impairment or AD.
Pre-clinical research activities interface with the Center’s Geriatric Research Program (Dr. Nunzio Pomara, M.D.) focusing on the development of more effective pharmacological strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and the identification of neurobiological predictors of therapeutic response. Investigators here also seek to identify pharmacokinetic and genetic mechanisms that cause increased sensitivity to cognitive toxicity in elderly persons taking pharmacologic agents. The clinical program is also a collaborating site for NIA/NIMH-funded studies examining the comparative effectiveness of antipsychotic medications in patients with AD; the safety and efficacy of vitamin E and donepezil HC1 (Aricept) to delay clinical progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD; the role of estrogen in preventing AD and loss of memory in women; and the role of Vitamin E in aging persons with Down syndrome. In collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, investigators in this program are also examining the safety and efficacy of new compounds in AD, including currently memantine and anticholinesterase inhibitors.
Other research interests in the CDR include transgenic modeling of AD, PD, and other neurodegenerative diseases; synapse physiology in memory processing; gene microarray analysis in neurodegeneration and neural plasticity; strategies to modulate Ab and b-amyloid; molecular genetics of dementia; hormonal and cholesterol modulation therapy in neurodegenerative disease; and early detection of AD by MRI and biological markers.
The CDR maintains collaborations with the Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (CABI) and Geriatric Psychiatry at NKI. Two NIH-funded Program Projects at NKI and an Alzheimer Disease Core Center closely link investigators in the CDR and CABI and in the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Radiology at NYU School of Medicine in highly productive interdepartmental collaborations on neuroimaging and drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The scope of current research and state-of-the-art facilities at the CDR provide unique opportunities for clinicians to train in depth in a multidisciplinary setting for research careers aimed toward defining the pathogenesis of degenerative diseases and improving diagnosis and treatment.
