Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

For questions not addressed here, contact NACC (naccmail@uw.edu).

What can I do if my project requires data that NACC doesn't have but that individual
ADCs do have?

Under those circumstances, NACC will contact directors of the ADCs involved with a brief description that you provide of your project. If the Centers are willing to explore a possible collaboration and sharing of data with you, NACC will provide you with contact information on the consenting ADC(s). You are responsible for negotiating specific arrangements with those ADCs on collaboration and data transfer.

What kind of analytic support does NACC provide?

NACC routinely provides advice and guidance about the availability and interpretation of data in NACC data sets. A scientific liaison at NACC is assigned to each project. Through this liaison, investigators can seek advice about analysis and interpretation as the project proceeds. Data analysis for most projects, however, occurs at the investigator's home institution. On request, NACC can also provide statistical and methodological consultation.

By mutual consent and subject to staff time constraints, NACC scientists can sometimes take on a larger role, including hands-on data analysis, direct collaboration, and co-authorship. Those arrangements are made on a project-by-project basis and are normally initiated by the investigator.

For more information, please see Processing your request.

Is item-level neuropsychological test data available?

For most tests in the UDS Neuropsychological Battery, only the total score is captured in the UDS. Subscale scores are also recorded for the Mini-Mental State Examination. For further details, see UDS Form C1 and the corresponding UDS data element dictionary entries.

Many ADCs do retain item-level neuropsychological test results, and access to the item-level data can be sought as described under Question 1 above.

Where can I find the UDS Neuropsychological Test Battery results (means, standard deviations, etc.) for normal, MCI and demented subjects?

Dr. Sandra Weintraub's article containing this information is available here. Dr. Weintraub warns that the posted summaries of test scores for non-demented subjects should not be treated as formal "norms." (All data were developed for the more detailed paper by Weintraub et al. in Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders).

Is APOE genotype available?

Yes. For autopsied IDs, the result is included in the Neuropathology (NP) Data Set.

NACC has recently collected APOE from the ADCs for about 50 percent of UDS non-autopsied IDs. This involves approximately 10,000 APOE values. These values may be requested by investigators at naccmail@uw.edu.