March 15, 1999

Media Contact: Nancy Stringer  (619) 543-6163

UCSD ALZHEIMER’S CENTER LEADS NORTH AMERICAN MEMORY IMPAIRMENT STUDY
Local Volunteers Invited to Participate in Important Research Study

The UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study Center is launching a $22 million research study to determine whether medical intervention in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), characterized primarily by memory problems, can help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.  The Memory Impairment Study, the most scientifically ambitious Alzheimer’s study of its type, involves 60 to 80 sites across the United States and Canada.

According to research, individuals with MCI appear to be at increased risk and develop Alzheimer’s disease at a rate of 12 to 15 percent per year.  An estimated 4 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer's disease, making it one of the most serious health concerns facing older men and women.  That number will likely increase to at least 7 million by the early 21^st century unless researchers find a cure or a way to prevent the disease.

"This research study could have direct implications for the public health," said Leon Thal, M.D., director of the UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study Center and professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences at UCSD School of Medicine.  "Because many people who develop this disease first experience a phase of mild cognitive impairment, this study seeks to determine whether the progression of Alzheimer's disease can be delayed in people at risk for the disease."  Thal is also a staff physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in La Jolla.

This research project seeks to recruit approximately 720 men and women, aged 55 to 90, with an obvious memory problem, but no other cognitive impairment.  These individuals tend to function normally in many areas of their lives such as at work, shopping, volunteer and social groups.  However, memory problems are becoming more and more noticeable and memory complaints are starting to become more frequent.  In many instances, it is usually the spouse, child or other loved one who first begins to notice such changes in memory.

This study will evaluate the usefulness of an investigational agent approved by the FDA for another use, and Vitamin E in the treatment of memory loss.

Each volunteer must have a friend, family member or other individual who sees him/her at least 10 hours every week and can accompany the volunteer on regular clinic visits.  (Provisions can be made for changes in this individual as family circumstances change over this 3-year study.)

Participants should be willing to participate in the research study for three years.  During this time they will be evaluated on an ongoing basis by a qualified health care professional.  If a volunteer converts to Alzheimer's disease while participating in the research study, he or she will be offered the investigational agent (open-label) with follow-up by a physician for the duration of the study.

Individuals interested in volunteering for the Memory Impairment Study should call the UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at (619) 622-5800, or toll-free at 1-888-455-0655 for more information.

The UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study is a consortium of academic medical centers devoted to unique approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.  It is primarily funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health.  The Memory Impairment Study is funded through grants from the NIA, Pfizer Inc and Eisai Inc.  Additional contributions from Roche Vitamins Inc.