Center Description
The Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) is funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIA P30 AG062677) to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and AD-related disorders. This is accomplished through the discovery of newer and better ways to diagnose and treat dementia, and to support those who are living with disease or providing care to loved ones with dementia.
We are one of about 35 centers in the U.S. funded by the National Institute on Aging to better understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and AD-related dementia, to identify the best way to detect disease in its earliest stages, and to help develop and test potential new therapies.
OUR HISTORY & MISSION
The Mayo Clinic ADRC was established in 1991, operating out of two campus locations: Rochester, MN and Jacksonville, FL. Our early work focused on understanding and characterizing healthy brain aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI; a condition of mild memory loss that in some people represents the early stage of Alzheimer's disease), and the transition from MCI to Alzheimer’s.
Today our Center studies not only Alzheimer’s disease, but also related dementias, including frontotemporal degeneration and Lewy body disorders. Our goal is to better understand the similarities and differences among these related dementias, which is crucial to making a correct diagnosis early in the disease. In so doing, we hope to aid the discovery of the most effective treatments for each disease and ensure that unique caregiving needs and challenges are understood and met.
ADRC ORGANIZATION & CORE ACTIVITIES
The Mayo Clinic ADRC is organized into several “core” areas of activity, including clinical evaluation, basic science (biomarker & genetic discoveries), brain imaging, data management, outreach, and administration. These core activities, which are carried out in both Rochester and Jacksonville, are described here.
