# Neuroimaging and Vascular Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2024 · $867,448

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Clinical neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) subjects is a critical aspect of understanding disease onset,
progression, and response to therapies. The UCI MODEL-AD team is developing new mouse models of AD that
more readily recapitulate the human disease. As new mouse models are generated by the Disease Model
Development and Phenotyping Project (DMP), the Neuroimaging and Neurovascular Core (NIVC) will undertake
a compendium of imaging modalities to deeply phenotype these mice using clinically relevant, magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) sequences to probe structure, tissue cellularity, and physiological functions in an age,
sex and diet dependent manner. The NIVC will also undertake a novel vessel-painting approach that labels the
cerebrovasculature. The goals of the NIVC are to significantly increase our structural and functional
understanding of how the MODEL AD mouse brain responds to genetic perturbations reminiscent of human AD
and to link these discoveries to clinical AD imaging. To accomplish these goals, we will undertake four Aims.
Aim 1 is to determine deep MRI and vascular phenotypes for DMP base-platform mice and high-interest models.
This Aim will use standardized (Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; ADNI-derived) and innovative
multimodal MRI techniques to describe structural, vascular, structural/functional connectivity, and metabolic
signatures in emerging AD mouse models. Aim 2 is to facilitate biomarker development by integrating MRI with
histopathological and multi-omic data. Here, NIVC data will be merged with DMP and Functional Genomics
Bioinformatics Data Management Core (FGBDMC) data to identify biomarker signatures on neuroimaging data
that provides insights on the underlying AD neurobiology. Aim 3 will validate potential MRI biomarkers emerging
from recent human AD studies, which include spectroscopic imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping.
Aim 4 is to disseminate MODEL-AD neuroimaging and vascular findings to the larger international AD
community and to provide entry to new researchers interested in AD. In summary, the NIVC will: 1) innovate
new imaging approaches for phenotyping mouse models and make these data publicly available for AD
researchers, 2) collaborate with human and mouse neuroimaging groups to pursue evaluation of potential
predictive markers that could guide early clinical diagnosis of AD, 3) educate the scientific (students, postdocs,
new researchers) and the broader public community about AD, and, 4) translate the NIVC findings to provide
new directions for neuroimaging approaches to aid diagnosis and monitor treatment response of human AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10913452
- **Project number:** 5U54AG054349-08
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Craig E Stark
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $867,448
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10913452

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10913452, Neuroimaging and Vascular Core (5U54AG054349-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10913452. Licensed CC0.

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