# Core D: Neuroimaging Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $2,098,042

## Abstract

Neuroimaging Core Abstract
The ABC-DS Neuroimaging Core, led by Drs. Adam Brickman and Brad Christian, will apply state-of-the art
positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neuroimaging techniques to
quantitate amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration (AT(N)) in Down syndrome (DS) according to current
pathophysiological models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) together with related cerebrovascular, microstructural,
and functional biomarkers. The specific aims of the Neuroimaging Core are to: (1) oversee the harmonized
acquisition of PET and MRI data at each of the 8 clinical performance sites; (2) quantitate primary outcome
measures for each neuroimaging modality; (3) integrate the processed neuroimaging data into a ABC-DS
database to support the proposed projects; and (4) provide curated primary outcome variables and raw
neuroimaging data to the wider scientific community. The overall scanning protocols will follow those developed
by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) for MRI (structural and functional) and PET (amyloid,
tau, FDG). The outcome variables are derived by modality-specific analytic nodes, with each modality analyzed
by a single laboratory with expertise in that neuroimaging biomarker. The Core will utilize NIA-sponsored
resources that currently support ongoing large-scale AD neuroimaging initiatives (e.g. ADNI, Dominantly
Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN)) to provide a fully developed data-access pipeline that encourages scientific
investigation of neuroimaging biomarkers in DS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10037879
- **Project number:** 1U19AG068054-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Bradley T Christian
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,098,042
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10037879

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10037879, Core D: Neuroimaging Core (1U19AG068054-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10037879. Licensed CC0.

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