Massive brain study aims to catch dementia early
NCT ID NCT03174938
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study follows nearly 3,000 people, including healthy adults and those with memory or movement problems, to learn how brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's develop. Researchers use advanced brain scans and tests to track changes over time. The goal is to improve early diagnosis and understand the role of proteins like tau in different dementias.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 2,950 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2017
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2036
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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20 to 100 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
COHORT A: Cognitively healthy younger individuals (40-65 years of age) INCLUSION CRITERIA * Age 40-65 years * Absence of cognitive symptoms as assessed by a physician with special interest in cognitive disorders. * MMSE score 27-30 at screening visit. * Do not fulfill the criteria for MCI or any dementia according to DSM-V. * Speaks and understands Swedish to the extent that an interpreter is not necessary for the patient to fully understand the study information and cognitive tests. EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Significant unstable systemic illness or organ failure, such as terminal cancer, that makes it difficult to participate in the study. * Current significant alcohol or substance misuse. * Significant neurological or psychiatric illness. * Refusing lumbar puncture, MRI or PET. COHORT B: Cognitively healthy elderly individuals (66-100 years of age) INCLUSION CRITERIA * Age 66-100 years * Absence of cognitive symptoms as assessed by a physician with special interest in cognitive disorders. * MMSE score 26-30 at screening visit. * Do not fulfill the criteria for MCI or any dementia according to DSM-V. * Speaks and understands Swedish to the extent that an interpreter is not necessary for the patient to fully understand the study information and cognitive tests. EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Significant unstable systemic illness or organ failure, such as terminal cancer, that makes it difficult to participate in the study. * Current significant alcohol or substance misuse. * Significant neurological or psychiatric illness. * Refusing lumbar puncture, MRI or PET. COHORT C: Subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment INCLUSION CRITERIA * Age 40-100 years. * Referred to the memory clinics due to cognitive symptoms experienced by the patient and/or informant. These symptoms do not have to be memory complaints, but could also be executive, visuospatial, language, praxis, psychomotor or social cognitive complaints. * MMSE score of 24 - 30 points. * Do not fulfill the criteria for any dementia (major neurocognitive disorder) according to DSM-V. * The medical doctor (after clinical assessments, cognitive testing, CSF analyses and structural brain imaging) believes the cognitive complaints are caused by an incipient neurocognitive disorder of any sort. This is defined as any case fulfilling the criteria above (i.e. both SCD and MCI) with an abnormal CSF Aβ42/40 ratio, which is strongly associated with brain Aβ pathology and prodromal Alzheimer's disease. Further, cases with MCI (=minor neurocognitive impairment) due to either Parkinson's disease, Lewy body disease, vascular neurocognitive disorder or frontotemporal dementia (please see Appendix below for clinical criteria and references) can also be included. * Speaks and understands Swedish to the extent that an interpreter is not necessary for the patient to fully understand the study information and cognitive tests. EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Significant unstable systemic illness or organ failure, such as terminal cancer, that makes it difficult to participate in the study. * Current significant alcohol or substance misuse. * Refusing lumbar puncture, MRI or PET. COHORT D: Dementia due to Alzheimer's disease INCLUSION CRITERIA * Age 40-100 years. * Referred to the memory clinics due to cognitive symptoms experienced by the patient and/or informant. These symptoms do not have to be memory complaints, but could also be executive, visuospatial, language, praxis or psychomotor complaints. * MMSE score of 12-26 points. * Fulfill the criteria for dementia (major neurocognitive disorder) due to Alzheimer's disease (DSM-V). * Speaks and understands Swedish to the extent that an interpreter was not necessary for the patient to fully understand the study information and cognitive tests. EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Significant unstable systemic illness or organ failure, such as terminal cancer, that makes it difficult to participate in the study. * Current significant alcohol or substance misuse. * Refusing lumbar puncture, MRI or PET. COHORT E: Other dementias INCLUSION CRITERIA * Age 40-100 years. * Fulfill the criteria for dementia (major neurocognitive disorder) due to FTD, PDD, DLB or subcortical VaD alternatively the criteria for PD, PSP, MSA, CBS or ALS. * Speaks and understands Swedish to the extent that an interpreter was not necessary for the patient to fully understand the study information and cognitive tests. EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Significant unstable systemic illness or organ failure, such as terminal cancer, that makes it difficult to participate in the study. * Current significant alcohol or substance misuse. * Refusing lumbar puncture, MRI or PET.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Memory Clinic, Hospital of Ängelholm
RECRUITINGÄngelholm, SE-262 81, Sweden
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Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital
RECRUITINGMalmö, SE-20502, Sweden
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