Join more than 200 people like you driving breakthroughs
By partnering with us, you’re joining the fight against Alzheimer’s disease in the Down syndrome community.
What is ABC-DS?
The Alzheimer Biomarkers Consortium-Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) is a 5-year research project where we follow a group of adult volunteers with Down syndrome to find signs and risks of Alzheimer’s. As part of the study, we gather data through brain scans, blood tests, and exams that look at how people with Down syndrome think.
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What are Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease?
Down syndrome is a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. It affects a person’s physical and intellectual development.
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. Alzheimer’s worsens over time, yet changes in the brain caused by Alzheimer’s happen many years before symptoms emerge.
Why study Alzheimer’s Disease in Down Syndrome?
Did you know that 70% of adults with Down syndrome will develop Alzheimer’s at some point in their life? Virtually all people with Down syndrome have brain changes consistent with Alzheimer’s by age 40. This needs to change. The only way to change these odds is to better understand, diagnose, treat, and prevent Alzheimer’s in the Down syndrome community.
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The Participation Process
Visit one of our research sites for a general medical exam, complete puzzles and games, questionnaires for your study partner, take photos of your brain and give blood samples.
You will return to see us at 16, 32 and 48 months and then at some point later for a similar visit.
Learn How to Volunteer
Study enrollment and consent
Complete visits to one of our research sites
Study partner completes questionnaires at each visit
Return at 16, 32 and 48 months later for a similar visit.
Tools for Researchers
The ABC-DS study welcomes manuscripts, papers, abstracts, and presentations based on study data and materials. Click here to learn more about the data request process.
More Info for Research
ABC-DS News & Publications
Read More News & PublicationsJanuary Healthy Diet Resources
Information from our ABC-DS calendar for the month of January the theme is HEALTHY DIET
Read MoreDoes Employment Complexity Promote Healthy Cognitive Aging in Down Syndrome?
In adults with Down syndrome, lower employment complexity is associated with memory decline and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Read MoreLa Movida Madison
Our University of Wisconsin-Madison Study ABC-DS study team joined La Movida Madison
Read MoreComparison of amyloid burden in individuals with Down syndrome versus autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease: a cross-sectional study
Amyloid PET changes were similar between people with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease versus Down syndrome
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