VCID Clinical Research: Determine interrelationship between VCID and AD biomarkers in humans (Milestone 2.S)
In Progress
Timeline Start - End
2016 - 2029Research Implementation Area
Research on Disease MechanismsAD-Related Dementias Focus
Understand the impact on VCID of other known dementia risk factors (e.g., aging, genetics) and co-morbid neurodegeneration along the life-course in diverse populations to establish VCID interactions with other dementia disease processes.
Success Criteria
- One or more studies to understand independent associations between biomarkers of VCID and biomarkers of other dementia-associated brain pathologies and comorbidities in a human cohort sufficiently powered to answer key questions in at least two populations that experience health disparities.
Summary of Key Accomplishments
Over the past decade, new research has significantly changed our concept of dementia. Once thought to be a catch-all term describing a person’s loss of the ability to think, remember or reason, dementia is becoming better understood to include many, complex dementia disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and several different ADRDs. Moreover, researchers are finding that most people diagnosed with dementia have multiple AD and ADRD-related disease markers, or “mixed pathologies.”
NIH-funded scientists recently discovered and coined a term for a new dementia-related pathology, which they call “LATE,” or limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy. LATE is frequently found in individuals diagnosed with different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s-type dementia, vascular-related dementia, and mixed pathology dementia. This new understanding that multiple disease processes often underly dementia suggests the need to intervene in multiple dementia-related pathways in the same individual and provides new prevention and treatment targets for future research.
The key accomplishments summary is current as of July 2022.
Accomplishments/Implementation Activities
Funding Initiatives
- RFA-AG-15-010: Interdisciplinary Research to Understand the Vascular Contributions to Alzheimer's Disease (R01)
- PAR-17-054: Leveraging Existing Cohort Studies to Clarify Risk and Protective Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (R01)
- RFA-NS-19-012: Post-Stroke Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) in the United States Including in Health Disparities Populations (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- PAR-19-167: Development and Validation of Advanced Mammalian Models for Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) (R61/R33)
- RFA-NS-20-013: White Matter Disease Etiology of Dementia in the U.S. Including in Health Disparities Populations
- NOT-NS-21-038: Hyperacute MRI Imaging Studies to Understand How Brain Changes Affect AD/ADRD-Relevant Trajectories and Outcomes Post-Stroke
- RFA-NS-21-004: Small Vessel VCID Biomarkers Validation Consortium Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- RFA-NS-21-005: Small Vessel VCID Biomarker Validation Consortium Sites (U01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
- NOT-NS-22-001: Postmortem Pathology, Cellular, and Molecular Analyses to Determine the Significance of White Matter Lesions and other Imaging Findings of Presumed Vascular Origin During Life
Research Programs and Resources
- VCID and Stroke in a Bi-racial National Cohort (REGARDS)
- MarkVCID
- Post-Stroke Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) in the United States Including in Health Disparities Populations (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Development and Validation of Advanced Mammalian Models for Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) (R61/R33)
- Diverse VCID: White Matter Lesion Etiology of Dementia in Diverse Populations
- Select projects funded in FY21
- Select projects funded in FY22
- Mind Your Risks
Research Highlights
Relevant Recommendations
- 2016 ADRD Summit: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID), Including Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Dementia (VCID) Focus Area 2: Human-Based Studies, Recommendation 2
- 2022 ADRD Summit: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) Milestone 6, Priority 4