Brain study seeks volunteers to shed light on preventing dementia

July 2016: People at risk of dementia could be helped by new research that aims to identify brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers are seeking around 250 healthy volunteers over the age of 65 to join a multi-million pound study that will track how the brain ages over several years. The CHARIOT study - the Cognitive Health in Ageing Register: Investigational, Observational, and Trial - is sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

The study is being announced today at the opening of the University’s Centre for Dementia Prevention. The event will be attended by HRH The Princess Royal,  Chancellor of the University.

Study volunteers will be invited to take part in detailed memory tests to monitor their brain function. Scientists will also analyse biological indicators, such as markers in blood and saliva, to analyse their health over time. The researchers hope the results will identify early signs of changes in the brain while people are still in good health.

Preventing dementia

The Centre for Dementia Prevention is a philanthropically funded specialist centre of excellence that is part of the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences. It brings together specialists from the fields of medicine, basic science and the social sciences.

The team aims to advance understanding of the basic biology of neurodegeneration and deliver new medicines that could act before symptoms appear. The Centre also hopes to improve the experience of living with dementia for those affected by the condition.

By understanding how the brain ages over time, it may be possible to detect the earliest stages of dementia before symptoms develop. We hope this insight will lead to the development of new treatments that could prevent the disease in those at risk.

More information

Centre for Dementia Prevention

Professor Craig Ritchie Principal Investigator profile