The USC ADRC at the Keck School of Medicine of USC offers diagnostic evaluations, ongoing treatment monitoring, and access to Alzheimer’s clinical trials. Our team includes neurologists, gerontologists, and specialized nurses. In addition to our main location, which offers complimentary valet parking, we see patients in Rancho Mirage and Downey.
Problems with the brain’s blood vessels can contribute to both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). This study develops new imaging measures of blood vessel function that may show how vascular problems drive these conditions.
Contact to learn more: elizabeth.joe@med.usc.edu
Many people with dementia have more than one underlying cause, known as multi-etiology dementia. Because most studies focus on one disease at a time, they can miss how these causes interact. CLARiTI brings standardized brain imaging to the national ADRC network so researchers can better identify the biological signs of each cause.
Contact to learn more: elizabeth.joe@med.usc.edu
LATE is a recently recognized brain change that causes memory loss in older adults. This multi-site study, led by investigators at UC Irvine, uses the ADRC network to better identify LATE and prepare participants for future clinical trials.
What’s involved: Yearly clinical and memory assessments, MRI scans, and blood draws; a PET scan every two years; brief assessments completed during daily life; participation in studies on recruitment and trial planning; and brain examination after death.
Contact to learn more: lilibeth.barrera@med.usc.edu
Type 2 diabetes raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but scientists don’t fully understand why. The Diabetes Brain Study includes 200 middle-aged Latino adults, a group at higher risk for both type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease than non-Latino white adults. Participants complete blood tests, medical exams, memory tests, and MRI scans to help identify brain imaging markers that could guide future prevention efforts.
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USC GeneScreen, also called the USC Alzheimer’s Preventative Registry, connects people across Los Angeles with Alzheimer’s research at USC. Members are tested for APOE, a gene that affects Alzheimer’s risk, and the results help match them with studies that fit their genetic profile.
Some brain diseases can be confirmed only by examining the brain after death. Through the Brain Research Study, participants can choose to donate their brain to research. After a participant dies, an autopsy determines whether they had Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia and helps researchers understand how the brain changes with age. USC participants with or without memory problems may be eligible.
Contact to learn more: carlota@usc.edu
Research by BenfoTeam scientists suggests that in people with early Alzheimer’s disease, thiamine (vitamin B1) does not reach the brain normally, even when blood levels are adequate. Raising blood thiamine well above usual levels may help overcome this. The BenfoTeam trial tests whether benfotiamine, a lab-made form of thiamine, slows cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.
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Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for normal brain function, but it is unclear how much of the omega-3s we eat reach the brain. Animal studies suggest genes such as APOE4 may affect this delivery. The Brain Omega-3 Study measures omega-3 levels in participants’ spinal fluid and blood to examine this process in people.
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For more than two decades, the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) has improved how researchers detect mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease early. ADNI4, the study’s latest phase, is enrolling people with or without memory problems. It aims to discover, standardize, and validate measures such as blood tests and brain scans that inform clinical trials. ADNI4 takes less of participants’ time than earlier phases, and more of the study can be done remotely. ADNI data are shared with researchers worldwide through the Image and Data Archive at the Stevens INI’s Laboratory of Neuro Imaging.
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This study explores how genetic risk and changes in the brain’s blood vessels may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers track markers in blood and spinal fluid and changes in brain structure over time, with the goal of detecting Alzheimer’s earlier and finding new ways to treat dementia.
Who can join: English- or Spanish-speaking adults age 45 or older.
What’s involved: Medical exams, tests of memory and daily function, MRI brain scans, blood tests, and a spinal fluid test. Participants receive modest compensation for visits to USC.
Contact to learn more: elizabeth.joe@med.usc.eduThe USC ADRC at the Keck School of Medicine of USC provides a full range of services for Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions and a streamlined path for patients to join research studies and clinical trials.
We send referring physicians detailed feedback on their patients’ health status to support ongoing care.
Call, email, or use our online referral portal.