DN Initiatives, Centers, and Resources
Moving neuroscience research forward
NIA's Division of Neuroscience supports major initiatives, centers, and resources to advance Alzheimer's and related dementias and brain health research on many fronts.
Initiatives
Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Alzheimer's Disease (AMP AD)
The AMP AD program is a precompetitive partnership among government, industry, and nonprofit organizations that focuses on discovering novel, clinically relevant therapeutic targets and on developing biomarkers to help validate existing therapeutic targets.
Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down Syndrome (ABC-DS)
The ABC-DS study is a joint study conducted by two groups of research collaborators—Neurodegeneration in Aging Down Syndrome (NiAD) and Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome (ADDS)—and is supported by NIA and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC)
The ACTC is expected to accelerate and expand studies for therapies in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The infrastructure of 35 sites across the United States will address the timeframe, complexity and expense of the recruitment process and site activation for Alzheimer’s trials to find new and effective ways to treat or prevent these devastating disorders.
Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Portfolio
The Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Portfolio supports research to discover long term treatments for the disease by the identification of risk factor and protective genes and the underlying molecular pathways.
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)
Launched in 2004, ADNI is an ongoing, longitudinal, multicenter study designed to develop clinical, imaging, genetic, and biochemical biomarkers for the early detection and tracking of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer's Pre-Clinical Efficacy Database (Alz-PED)
AlzPED is a publicly available, searchable, data resource that aims to increase the transparency, reproducibility and translatability of preclinical efficacy studies of candidate therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease.
AD Translational Initiatives
Cognitive and Emotional Health Project (CEHP): The Healthy Brain
CEHP is a trans-NIH initiative aiming to understand the positive and negative changes in cognition and emotion in adulthood, and what can be done to preserve and enhance positive outcomes.
Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN)
DIAN is an international research effort to find solutions to treat or prevent this disease and, potentially, all forms of Alzheimer’s.
Model Organism Development and Evaluation for Late-Onset AD (MODEL-AD)
The MODEL-AD initiative works to develop, validate and disseminate new, precise animal models of Alzheimer’s disease.
Molecular Mechanisms of the Vascular Etiology of Alzheimer's Disease Consortium (M2OVE-AD)
M2OVE-AD is an NIH-led team-science venture to build a nuanced model of Alzheimer's disease that more accurately reflects its many causes and pathways.
Centers and Resources
Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADCs)
NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) work to translate research advances into improved diagnosis and care, as well as find ways to treat and possibly prevent Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
ApoE Pathobiology in Aging & Alzheimer's Disease (EPAAD)
EPAAD is established to serve both the research community and the public as a source of existing and new knowledge on apoE; links to publications and datasets relevant to apoE in aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and related dementias; a list of currently available resources, and a forum for discussion. Our mission is to provide current knowledge and the latest findings on apoE biology and pathobiology, while providing information on resources and a platform for data sharing.
Program contact: Amanda DiBattista
International Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Research Portfolio (IADRP)
Launched in 2010 as a joint collaboration between the NIA and the Alzheimer's Association, IADRP enables users to assess the portfolios of major organizations for areas of overlap as well as areas of opportunities in which to collaborate and coordinate in a collective effort to advance AD research.
National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)
Funded by NIA, NACC has developed and maintains a large relational database of standardized clinical and neuropathological research data. NACC provides a valuable resource for both exploratory and explanatory Alzheimer's disease research. NACC data are freely available to all researchers.
National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD)
The goal of the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD) is to help researchers find genes that increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia.
NIA Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Data Storage Site (NIAGADS)
NIAGADS is the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Data Storage Site. NIAGADS is a national genentics repository created by NIA to facilitate access by qualified investigators to genotypic data for the study of genetics of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
North American Prodromal Synucleinopathy Consortium (NAPS Consortium)
The goal of the North American Prodromal Synucleinopathy Consortium is to support clinical care, advance discovery, promote education, and engage the community in order to improve the quality of life and care of individuals living with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD). Through these efforts, the aim is to develop treatments that will delay the onset of, or prevent the development of, neurodegenerative disorders associated with RBD.
Program contact: Mack Mackiewicz
Protein Polymorph Resource Network (PPRN)
The PPRN was created in 2021 by the National Institute on Aging to standardize the isolation and characterization of tau aggregates and fibrils for the greater Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRC) research communities.
Program contacts: Austin Yang and Paul Barrett
Seattle Alzheimer's Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD)
The Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD) consortium strives to gain a deep molecular and cellular understanding of the early pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. To accomplish this, we are leveraging advances in next-generation single-cell molecular profiling technologies developed through the BRAIN Initiative and at the Allen Institute for Brain Science. We are integrating single-cell profiling technologies with quantitative neuropathology and deep clinical phenotyping through collaboration with the University of Washington Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI), to create a multifaceted open data resource. We seek to understand the cellular and molecular changes that underlie Alzheimer’s disease initiation and progressive cognitive decline, with the ultimate goal of identifying targets for therapeutic intervention.
Program contact: Erin Gray
NIH Resources
NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function
The NIH Toolbox® is a comprehensive set of neuro-behavioral measurements that quickly assess cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions.
