ADNI data is made available to researchers around the world. As such, there are many active research projects accessing and applying the shared ADNI data. To further encourage Alzheimer’s disease research collaboration, and to help prevent duplicate efforts, the list below shows the specific research focus of the active ADNI investigations. This information is requested annually as a requirement for data access.
| Principal Investigator | |
| Principal Investigator's Name: | Colleen Millikin |
| Institution: | University of Manitoba |
| Department: | Clinical Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine |
| Country: | |
| Proposed Analysis: | My Ph.D. student and I are hoping to use ADNI data to investigate neuropsychological correlates of the development of delusions in participants with MCI and AD. We plan to identify: (1) participants who have delusions (according to NPI-Q) at baseline, and (2) participants who do not have delusions at baseline but do have delusions at one or more follow-up visits. If there are sufficient participants with delusions, we plan to carry out analyses to examine differences between participants with and without delusions. Participants who also have hallucinations will be excluded from the present study. Participants with delusions at baseline will be compared to a matched group of participants with no delusions with respect to performance on baseline neuropsychological testing. Participants who develop delusions will be compared to a matched group that did not have delusions during follow-up. These analyses will examine baseline characteristics of participants who did/did not develop delusions, as well as changes in neuropsychological functioning associated with the development of delusions. We hypothesize that participants who develop delusions will show greater impairment in semantic memory but relatively preserved attention.(These hypotheses are based on a paper I co-authored: Fischer, Ladowsky-Brooks, Millikin, Norris, Hansen, and Rourke, 2006.) We are also interested in neuroimaging changes associated with the development of delusions, but our focus at this time is on the neuropsychological variables. |
| Additional Investigators | |
| Investigator's Name: | Claire Milgrom |
| Proposed Analysis: | Claire Milgrom is a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University. She plans to conduct part of the proposed study for her dissertation research. In our study, we hope to use ADNI data to investigate neuropsychological correlates of the development of delusions in participants with MCI and AD. We plan to identify: (1) participants who have delusions (according to NPI-Q) at baseline, and (2) participants who do not have delusions at baseline but do have delusions at one or more follow-up visits. If there are sufficient participants with delusions, we plan to carry out analyses to examine differences between participants with and without delusions. Participants who also have hallucinations will be excluded from the present study. Participants with delusions at baseline will be compared to a matched group of participants with no delusions with respect to performance on baseline neuropsychological testing. Participants who develop delusions will be compared to a matched group that did not have delusions during follow-up. These analyses will examine baseline characteristics of participants who did/did not develop delusions, as well as changes in neuropsychological functioning associated with the development of delusions. We hypothesize that participants who develop delusions will show greater impairment in semantic memory but relatively preserved attention.(These hypotheses are based on a paper I co-authored: Fischer, Ladowsky-Brooks, Millikin, Norris, Hansen, and Rourke, 2006.) We are also interested in changes in ADL and biomarkers (e.g., MRI, PIB) associated with the development of delusions, but our focus at this time is on the neuropsychological variables. |
| Investigator's Name: | Corinne Fischer |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Fischer is a geriatric psychiatrist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and a researcher with the Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. She will be collaborating on analysis of NPIQ data to look at rates of neuropsychiatric symptoms over time in participants with MCI, and their association with conversion to dementia. She will also be involved in analysis of neuroimaging data (MRI, PET) to compare brain structure and metabolism between participants with delusions and participants without delusions who are matched with delusional participants by age, gender, education, and, if possible, MMSE or CDR score. (The neuroimaging analysis will take place in Dr. Tom Schweizer's lab at St. Michael's Hospital.) |
| Investigator's Name: | Tom Schweizer |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Schweizer is a neuroscientist specializing in brain imaging and dementia. He contributed to preparation of an abstract based on NPIQ data. He will also be involved in preparing a manuscript based on that data. In addition, he will be the primary investigator on a project to compare structural and functional neuroimaging between participants with and without delusions. It is anticipated that individuals with delusions will show characteristic structural and functional abnormalities in frontal cortex. Dr. Schweizer and Dr. Fischer will be submitting a separate data access request for imaging data that can be used for volumetric analysis. |
| Investigator's Name: | Tiffany Chow |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Chow is a behavioral neurologist and senior scientist with the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto. Dr. Chow is a Co-Investigator on a project entitled "Neuroimaging Profiles of Neuropsychiatric Subgroups in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease." The project, recently funded by CIHR, will examine changes in brain structure and function associated with the development of delusions in MCI and early AD. Dr. Chow will be responsible for analysis of changes in brain function on FDG-PET associated with delusions. |
| Investigator's Name: | Paul Shelton |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Shelton is a behavioral neurologist in private practice in Winnipeg. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, Section of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba. Dr. Shelton is a Co-Investigator on a project entitled "Neuroimaging Profiles of Neuropsychiatric Subgroups in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease." The project, recently funded by CIHR, will examine changes in brain structure and function associated with the development of delusions in MCI and early AD. |
| Investigator's Name: | Lisa Lix |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Lix is a biostatistician and professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba. Dr. Lix is a Co-Investigator on a project entitled "Neuroimaging Profiles of Neuropsychiatric Subgroups in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease." The project, recently funded by CIHR, will examine changes in brain structure and function associated with the development of delusions in MCI and early AD. She brings expertise in biostatistics and analysis of longitudinal data. |
| Investigator's Name: | Zahinoor Ismail |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Ismail is a geriatric psychiatrist based in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Ismail is a Co-Investigaqtor on a project entitled "Neuroimaging Profiles of Neuropsychiatric Subgroups in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease." The project, recently funded by CIHR, will examine changes in brain structure and function associated with the development of delusions in MCI and early AD. |
| Investigator's Name: | Nancy Fisher |
| Proposed Analysis: | Dr. Fisher is a clinical neuropsychologist affiliated with the University of Alberta. Dr. Fisher is a Collaborator on a project entitled "Neuroimaging Profiles of Neuropsychiatric Subgroups in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer's Disease." The project, recently funded by CIHR, will examine changes in brain structure and function associated with the development of delusions in MCI and early AD. Dr. Fisher will provide consultation on identification of neuropsychological functioning profiles. |