Conners, Frances A PHD

The proposed study will identify early-occurring declines in cognitive and other functions in young people with Down Syndrome. In the long term, this knowledge would open the door to early pharmaceutical, behavioral, or environmental interventions that could improve quality of life and possibly slow the progression of early aging and Alzheimer's disease among adults with DS.

This neuroimaging supplement will allow us to acquire multimodal MRI scans and quantify neuroimaging biomarkers of early decline in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome that may foreshadow the subsequent transition into Alzheimer’s Disease. The participants will be recruited and evaluated through the parent R01. Adding AD-sensitive MRI indices has the potential to greatly enhance the value of the neurocognitive, behavioral, and blood-based indicators of decline and risk already being collected. Identifying the earliest, non-invasive biomarkers for neurodegenerative decline will aid in intervening as early as possible, potentially prior to behavioral indications of cognitive decline.