Status: Open to recruitment
Background
With an ageing population, dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders are estimated to affect over 135 million people globally by 2050.
Despite major advances in our understanding of the disease mechanisms, there are currently no effective treatments available for dementia and most neurodegenerative diseases. By the time obvious clinical symptoms are recognised, irreversible pathological brain changes are likely to have occurred and it is thought that treatments are used too late in the disease process.
There is therefore a great need to understand the early stages of the disease and to identify a group of people with a higher likelihood of developing dementia for natural history studies and early phase treatment trials.
Objectives
We will combine clinical and genetic information (DNA samples, lifestyle factors) with cognitive profiling to identify people at low or high risk of developing dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Research aims
- To measure the ‘age related penetrance’ of the genetic risk factors for dementia by comparing tests of brain function (including memory) to a person’s genetics.
- To establish the largest cohort of volunteers (~40,000) who can be recalled for future studies based on their detailed genetic and cognitive profile.
Who can take part?
- Volunteers enrolled with the NIHR BioResource.
What is involved?
On enrolment to the NIHR BioResource, volunteers complete a standard questionnaire about their health and lifestyle and provide a DNA sample. Volunteers will be invited to complete online cognitive tests to measure their cognitive function, including attention, reaction time and memory. We will ask volunteers to repeat the tests once more over 18 months to measure changes over time.
Interim Results
Thanks to volunteer contributions, the first phase of the study has been published. Please see University of Cambridge news pages or the published paper for further information.