An Econometric Analysis of Non-Genetic and Genetic Risk Factors Associated with
  
   Lead Investigator:    Rhea Bhatta
   Institution      :    University of Pennsylvania
   E-Mail           :    rbhatta@mail.med.upenn.edu
   Proposal ID      :    821



   Proposal Description:
   In the existing epidemiologic literature, a variety of risk factors (RFs)         thought to be linked to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) have been studied.  However,     the statistical methods used to find associations are limited, and study          conclusions vary significantly.  Furthermore, few studies consider the            interactive or the simultaneous impacts of RFs.                                   The purpose of this study is to address these gaps by using advanced              econometric and statistical techniques to perform a more comprehensive analysis   of RFs associated with AD in both clinically and pathologically diagnosed         patients.  We expand the scope of the phrase                                      those in the traditional sense (e.g. cardiovascular RFs), but also                socio-demographic, phenotypic, environmental, and geographic characteristics.     For our analysis, we will use previously under-utilized methods to identify RFs   that are most strongly associated with AD, potential interactions among these     RFs, including gene-environment interactions (in particular, the apoE             genotype), and the magnitudes of these relationships.  Not only is this an        attempt to verify or disprove relationships with RFs addressed in existing        literature, we also seek to uncover new RFs that were never previously engaged.   Due to the longitudinal nature of the data and through individual-level           analysis, we are afforded the opportunity to utilize advanced econometric and     statistical techniques previously untapped in the analysis of AD.