The effects of age of onset on mixed pathologies and cognitive decline in
pathologically-confirmed sporadic Alzheimer's disease. 
   Lead Investigator:    Denis Smirnov
   Institution      :    University of California San Diego
   E-Mail           :    dsmirnov@ucsd.edu
   Proposal ID      :    1341



   Proposal Description:
   1) Examine the influence of demographic and other characteristics such as age of onset of cognitive impairment on the eventual neuropathologic outcomes in patients with autopsy-diagnosed AD. We expect the prevalence of non-AD pathologies to increase with Age of Onset, while the severity of AD pathology may decrease. This effect may be more strongly associated with age of onset rather than age of death.                                                         2) Examine the interaction of characteristics such as age of onset with pathologic outcomes in predicting longitudinal cognitive decline. We may expect age of onset to predict rate of decline, but have this effect mediated by the mixture of pathologies. However, it is possible that age of onset affects progression independent of the underlying pathologic process.