title: First translational 'Think Tank' on cerebrovascular disease, cognitive impairment and dementia.
abstract: As the human population continues to age, an increasing number of people will exhibit significant deficits in cognitive function and dementia. It is now recognized that cerebrovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases all play major roles in the evolution of cognitive impairment and dementia. Thus with our more recent recognition of these relationships and our need to understand and more positively impact on this world health problem, "The Leo and Anne Albert Charitable Trust" (Gene Pranzo, Trustee with significant support from Susan Brogan, Meeting Planner) provided generous support for this inaugural international workshop that was held from April 13-16, 2015 at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in North Naples, Florida. Researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY organized the event by selecting the present group of translationally inclined preclinical, clinical and population scientists focused on cerebrovascular disease (CVD) risk and its progression to vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and dementia. Participants at the workshop addressed important issues related to aging, cognition and dementia by: (1) sharing new data, information and perspectives that intersect vascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, (2) discussing gaps in translating population risk, clinical and preclinical information to the progression of cognitive loss, and (3) debating new approaches and methods to fill these gaps that can translate into future therapeutic interventions. Participants agreed on topics for group discussion prior to the meeting and focused on specific translational goals that included promoting better understanding of dementia mechanisms, the identification of potential therapeutic targets for intervention, and discussed/debated the potential utility of diagnostic/prognostic markers. Below summarizes the new data-presentations, concepts, novel directions and specific discussion topics addressed by this international translational team at our "First Leo and Anne Albert Charitable Trust 'Think Tank' VCI workshop".
authors.affiliation: Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. frank.barone@downstate.edu.|Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. frank.barone@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Frank C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.affiliation: Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. deborah.gustafson@downstate.edu.|Section Neuroepidemiology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. deborah.gustafson@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gustafson
authors.affiliation: Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. howard.crystal@downstate.edu.|Pathology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. howard.crystal@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Crystal
authors.affiliation: Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. herman.moreno@downstate.edu.|Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. herman.moreno@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. adamskimateusz@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mateusz G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Adamski
authors.affiliation: Neuroprotection Research Laboratory, Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CharlesTown, Boston, MA, USA. karai@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. alison.baird@Downstate.edu.|Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. alison.baird@Downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Alison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.affiliation: Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. clotilde.balucani@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Clotilde
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balucani
authors.affiliation: Taub Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. amb2139@cumc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brickman
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada. cechetto@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cechetto
authors.affiliation: Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Mercy Health Hauenstein Neurosciences, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. pgorelic@trinity-health.org.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorelick
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. g.j.biessels@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Geert Jan
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Biessels
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Preclinical Imaging Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Amanda.kiliaan@radboudumc.nl.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiliaan
authors.affiliation: Neuroepidemiology Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. launerl@nia.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Lenore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Launer
authors.affiliation: Pathology (Neuropathology) and Neurological Sciences, Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. Julie_A_Schneider@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. fsorond@partners.org.
authors.forename: Farzaneh A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Sorond
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA. rachel.whitmer@kp.org.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whitmer
authors.affiliation: McKnight Brain Institute, Division of Cognitive Disorders, Neurology, Public Health Sciences and Neuroscience, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA. CWright@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Clinton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Neurology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA. zhazh@neuro.hfh.edu.
authors.forename: Zheng Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers