DIADEM
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Digital assessment of auditory perception in dementia
IRAS ID
333204
Contact name
Charles Marshall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
We have developed simple hearing tests that measure subtle changes in the brain. Our team has expertise in auditory neuroscience, early detection of dementia , and the diagnostic pathway in NHS memory clinics. It typically takes over three years to get a dementia diagnosis from the time symptoms start. Timely and accurate diagnosis will be vital to ensure access to future treatments that may be able to slow down dementia. However, current diagnostic tests are ‘blunt’ and expensive. Those who are more deprived or from minoritised ethnic groups tend to be diagnosed later and less accurately.
We will evaluate digital hearing tests in a “real-world” setting in memory clinics that serve a diverse and deprived population. We will recruit 500 people attending memory clinics to be evaluated for dementia and 100 healthy controls. We will assess how well our hearing tests identify patients with dementia at initial assessment, and then follow patients for 2 years to establish how well they predict dementia in those who did not receive a diagnosis of dementia initially, allowing some patients with dementia to have earlier access to treatment and support, and some patients without dementia to have earlier reassurance. We will also assess whether our hearing tests have added value when used alongside emerging blood tests for dementia.
The technology is designed to be a cost-effective decision support tool that could be used throughout the NHS as it will require only a computer and internet connection. We will assess the potential cost-effectiveness during the project based on data we acquire about how much it might improve dementia diagnosis.
We will co-produce the research with members of the public and clinicians involved in patient care, working with them to understand the value of the technology to patients, and how best to communicate the outputs in clinical settings.REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0021
Date of REC Opinion
20 Feb 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion