EPAD Longitudinal Cohort Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia Longitudinal Cohort Study.
IRAS ID
197154
Contact name
Craig Ritchie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 8 months, 24 days
Research summary
Brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease may precede symptoms of Alzheimer’s Dementia by over 20 years. We hope to be able to identify Alzheimer's disease at its very earliest stages when in theory treatments are most likely to be successful in preventing further spread of the disease in the brain and causing dementia. The aim of EPAD is to develop new treatments more quickly to prevent Alzheimer's dementia. A major component of the EPAD programme is the EPAD Longitudinal Cohort Study which can provide subjects for the EPAD trial as well as data to improve understanding of disease before dementia develops.
We will approach a broad range of people over the age of 50 who have previously taken part in various research studies and consented to being recontacted for further research. We will ask questions to assess their memory and other cognitive function. We will also undertake a brain scan, take a sample of spinal fluid, blood, urine and saliva to look at markers in these bodily fluids that may change in Alzheimer's disease. We will then follow these participants until December 2019 repeating these tests annually. This will be called the EPAD Longitudinal Cohort Study (EPAD LCS). The main reasons for EPAD developing a cohort are to help us understand more about what happens to people before dementia develops, and to help us recruit people more quickly into the EPAD trials of new medications or other interventions expected to prevent dementia.
People in the EPAD LCS may be invited to take part in the EPAD Proof of Concept prevention studies to see if we can modify their probability of developing dementia or cognitive problems (this will be subject to separate ethics approval and consent). Together EPAD LCS and EPAD PoC make up the full EPAD Programme.REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0074
Date of REC Opinion
14 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion