Emory Neurology Database
Our database, established in the late 1990s, retains extensive clinical information about study subjects recruited by our Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Clinical Core as well as the many other individuals with neurological diseases seen in the Neurology Department over a number of years. As of March 2009, there are roughly 6,400 subjects in this database who have a specific research or clinical diagnosis and who have volunteered for research. There are another 1,000 subjects whose records are currently under review for inclusion into this database.
| Diagnosis | Number* (Total = 6414) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Control** | 1401 | 22% |
Possible Alzheimer’s disease | 250 | 4% |
Probable Alzheimer’s disease | 1000 | 16% |
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) | 329 | 5% |
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) | 155 | 2% |
Vascular dementia | 59 | 1% |
Other dementia | 42 | 1% |
Lewy body disease (LBD) | 75 | 1% |
Parkinson’s disease | 607 | 9% |
Other movement disorders | 268 | 5% |
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) | 347 | 5% |
Stroke | 541 | 8% |
Sleep disorders | 612 | 9% |
Other diagnoses | 728 | 11% |
* Includes subjects recruited for the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC)
** Control subjects self-reported no history of neurological disease; the great majority had Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) data indicating no cognitive impairment; a subset of these subjects have had a full neurological work-up.
In addition to clinical information, we collect basic demographics, medical history (including risk factors such as smoking), and a detailed family history from all of these subjects. Vital status is available through the end of 2004. For many we have some neuropsychological measures; most have an MMSE and clock drawing test, for example. The majority of subjects in our database have only one visit. However, about 1,900 of the roughly 6,400 subjects have been or are being seen longitudinally. At each visit they complete some neuropsychological testing and a neurological exam, as well as an interview to capture new medical and family history.
There are over 2,500 variables in our database, not all of which are available for each subject. To facilitate data use for research, we have put together a Summary Database which contains about 150 of the most commonly requested variables. A data dictionary describing the variables in the Summary Database is available.
If you would like to request some of these data for research studies or would like to contact some of these subjects for possible participation in other research studies, please fill out the appropriate request form.