Martin Slagter for Mlive.com writes:  November is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and a researchers at the University of Michigan are seeking volunteers to help them learn more about early detection of the disease and how it progresses.

The clinical trial is being conducted by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, the ADNI research team is studying how quickly cognition and function changes in the aging brain, with a specific focus on the early detection of Alzheimer’s and tracking how it progresses.

The study is looking for healthy, local volunteers ages 55-90 who have mild memory problems, as well as those who have been diagnosed with mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.

“Essentially, if people have any symptoms of memory problems, memory loss or progressive change in thinking, we are interested in possibly enrolling them,” said Dr. Michael Weiner, lead researcher for the ADNI study.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, with 1 in 3 seniors dying from Alzheimer’s or another dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Overall, an estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s.

In Michigan, 180,000 seniors over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2025, that number will be 220,000, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Weiner said trials like the one being conducted by ADNI could help with diagnosing the disease.

“The overall goal of ADNI is to determine the best ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and to monitor its progression,” Weiner said. “The results from ADNI are used for clinical treatment trials. We make all data publicly available.”

For more information about volunteering, patients can go through an eligibility screening online on the ADNI website or call 734-418-6506.