History of Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers: From inception in 1984 to evolution beyond 2025.

This paper reviews the history of the so-called Alzheimer Movement in the United States, the origins of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRC) program, and their critical role in shaping the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease by 2035. The long narration unfolds in three parts: (1) Beginnings, (2) Accomplishments, and (3) Charting the Next Step. HIGHLIGHTS: This paper reviews the history of the Alzheimer movement in the United States, the origins of the ADRC program, and the centers' critical role in shaping the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease by 2035. The long narration unfolds in three parts: (1) Beginnings: Establishing a Foothold, (2) Accomplishments: Key Achievements and Future Lessons, and (3) Charting the Next Step: Rethinking the ADRC's role after 2035. This perspective offers a high-level view of the scientific landscape during the inception of programmatic research in aging and dementia. The story covers the significant challenges involved in starting such an undertaking. It recounts the rationale, intent, achievements, and structure of the ADRCs. The narrative focuses on the politics of science that shaped programs like the ADRC and NACC, particularly through earmarked funding. It explains why the program prioritized the creation of infrastructure and building capacity for longitudinal clinical studies. The discussion of future directions will (1) explain the reasoning for reformulating the mission and structure of the ADRC's concept to accommodate a comprehensive range of emerging needs and (2) explore the role of the re-engineered centers as a catalyst to promote and maintain brain health to prevent cognitive impairments. It will suggest some possible options to restructure some current centers into comprehensive regional centers as instruments to deal with new challenges.