Clinical Research Studies

This proposal will generate pilot data for an R01 application that aims to determine whether Blacks/African Americans (‘blacks’) generally exhibit lower tau-PET signal compared to non-Hispanic whites (‘whites’) for a given level of global Aß burden, and further determine the effect of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a possible race-related biologic mechanism on this signal. To do this, we will leverage data and resources from NYU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC NYULH STUDY ID#: s20-00427) and two affiliated ongoing NIH supported R01 studies (2R01AG056031 NYULH STUDY ID#: s17-01005 and 1R01AG056531 NYULH STUDY ID#: s18-01302). All studies have neuroimaging measures of vascular burden, and amyloid. NYULH STUDY ID#: s17-01005 and NYULH STUDY ID#: s20-00427 have tau-PET neuroimaging using 18F-PI2620 or 18F-MK6240 MR scans. NYULH STUDY ID#: s17-01005 and NYULH STUDY ID#: s18-01302 have nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) recordings. This study adds tau-PET neuroimaging using 18F-PI2620 or 18F-MK6240 MR scan to 24 black subjects in 1R01AG056531 NYULH STUDY ID#: s18-01302. Altogether, subjects will include 120 cognitively normal (60 controls [30 blacks & 30 whites recruited from both NYULH STUDY ID#: s18-01302 & NYULH STUDY ID#: s20-00427) and 60 newly diagnosed OSA subjects with complaints of EDS [30 blacks & 30 whites]), ages 60-75 (recruited from NYULH STUDY ID#: s17-01005) relatively matched on or similar in age (60-75 range), sex, BMI, education and income.