LEXINGTON — David Wekstein is looking for a few good brains.

        Or BRAINS, to be exact.

        Mr. Wekstein, the associate director of the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, leads an innovative research program called BRAINS — Biologically Resilient Adults in Neurological Studies — which he believes will ultimately provide much-needed insight into the cause and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

        The idea behind the program is simple. Brain studies of Alzheimer's patients must be compared with those of normal patients to document differences and verify research results.

        Since 1989, the center has recruited healthy people 60 and older to agree to annual neurological testing and the donation of their brains for study upon their deaths. Researchers currently are following more than 400 participants and are looking for about 200 more central Kentucky residents to join the program.

        “We can study Alzheimer's brains from now till next year,” Mr. Wekstein said. “But if we can't study the brains of people who don't have Alzheimer's disease — a control group — for comparison, it's not very worthwhile.”

        The researchers administer annual neurological and physical tests to the people who have volunteered for the program.

        “The importance of the agreement to donate the brain for research purposes cannot be overstated, Mr. Wekstein said.

        More than 4 million Americans and as many as 12 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's, which has no known cause or cure.

        It afflicts mainly the elderly, robbing them of their memories and ability to care for themselves, eventually killing them. The disease is characterized by the de generation of brain cells and is the most common form of dementia in the elderly.

        In Kentucky, as many as 60,000 people have the disease. UK's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, one of only a handful in a national network of federally funded and designated programs, was awarded a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging in May to continue its work.

        Gretchen Black, 65, of Lexington, watched helplessly as both her mother and father fell prey to Alzheimer's disease. She and her husband Charlie, 72, joined the program when Mrs. Black turned 60 as a way to help others who may be facing similar circumstances.

        “We feel like we're a part of something big and a part of something special,” Gretchen Black said. “I have to be honest. I know that I am at risk because my parents and my grandmother all suffered from the disease. At least I know they'll be watching me in case I start to fall apart.

        “I have faith in the Lord, but at the same time it is frightening to think that I may someday go through some of the same things my parents did. It's the most devastating thing you can possibly go through. This at least gives me some sense of control — like I'm doing something that not only could help me but others facing the same struggle.”

        All information gathered is kept confidential. If a subject over time begins to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's, as some have, researchers get the participant's permission before discussing the situation with family members or spouses.

        “It's really allowed us to look at several different things,” Mr. Wekstein said. “There are a great number of older people who for years and years and years were able to function normally but, when they died and we were able to study their brains, we found that their pathology was exactly the same as those with Alzhei mer's.

        “So the question becomes how is it possible for two people to have the same pathology but one be able to function normally and the other suffer from Alzheimer's. We don't yet have an answer to that question, but with further study may be able to better understand it.”

        Charlie Black said the tests are simple memory and physical dexterity exercises.

        “They'll read you a story and then ask you questions for comprehension, there's word associations, connect-the-dots exercises, things to test your coordination,” he said. “They're a lot of fun, really.”

        Although the exercises are simple and repeated exactly on a yearly basis, they give amazing insight into how the brain functions or declines in function as a person ages.

        “The tests we give to our control groups are extremely similar to the ones given to Alzheimer's patients,” said Gail Cohen, a clinical research assistant at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. “We have to be able to compare the results with those at different stages of the disease.”

        The participants in the studies chose the name BRAINS.

        “That came about in a contest among our subjects,” Ms. Cohen said. “We let people submit names, narrowed them to four and then had everybody vote to pick their favorite.”

        Among those that didn't make the cut: Support Alzheimer's Volunteer Efforts (SAVE); Mature Individuals Not Determined Senile (MINDS); and Vibrant Oldsters Loving Science (VOLS).

        “That last one might not have been real popular around here,” Mr. Wekstein said with a laugh.

        The contest provided a bit of lighthearted fun, but all realize the significance of their participation, Ms. Cohen said.

        “This is a remarkable group of people who have made a tremendous sacrifice in the interest of science,” she said. “They truly understand how important this research is. They really get it. And when we do determine a cause or discover new ways to treat people suffering from the disease, these people will have played an important role in that.”

        For more information on the BRAINS program call 859-323-5550.

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