Participate in our study!
Longitudinal Cohort
We wish to learn more about changes in memory and brain function in healthy people who have a family history of Alzheimer's disease. To do this, we follow a cohort of participants on a regular basis approximately once a year. We want to observe how people's health, memory, and brain structure, function, and biochemistry may change over time. We want to learn more about memory problems caused by biological changes in the brain and seek out possible targets for treatment which could help prevent these memory losses. We also have a whole research component that allows us to test prevention interventions which have the potential to delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and its symptoms.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for cognitively healthy participants who are willing to come at least once a year for an annual visit including cognitive assessments, a blood test, and a brain MRI. Additionally, we are looking for participants who are open to coming for additional visits such as specialized amyloid and tau PET scans or lumbar punctures. The content of the annual visits may vary from one year to the next.
Our primary inclusion criteria are:
What should you expect?
We gradually call people on the list of potential participants in order to plan an initial eligibility visit. During this visit, we answer your final questions about our program and together sign all necessary consent forms. We then gather some general information such as details on your overall health, carry out a short session of cognitive testing, and collect a blood sample. Following this first visit, we will be able to assess the participant's eligibility for the program and start follow-ups.
The follow-ups may include:
Cognitive evaluations
Every annual visit, a variety of cognitive tests will be administered to you to detect subtle changes not only in immediate or delayed memory, but also in language, orientation, attention, concentration, visuospatial and executive functioning, etc. The results of your cognitive tests will be periodically verified by a neuropsychologist.
Neuroimaging
Our research program includes a variety of neuroimaging techniques in order to properly characterize the aging brain and better understand the underlying processes, but also to measure the presence of lesions or pathological markers of Alzheimer's disease. The most revealing techniques are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and retinal imaging by hyperspectral cameras are also important but optional.
Cerebrospinal fluid
An equally integral part of our research is the analysis of biochemical compounds in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF is a fluid which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The collection of CSF is done using a lumbar puncture technique particularly adapted to research and is carried out by a neurologist. We study the composition of this fluid with increasingly sensitive techniques in order to detect minuscule amounts of various markers of Alzheimer's disease, brain activity, the inflammatory system and more. For more information, you can watch the video below:
Genetics
We also want to learn how genes influence brain health. We're looking to find out which genes influence the development of Alzheimer's disease or how genes interact with environmental factors (including our lifestyle) and how these interactions impact the development of Alzheimer's disease. To do this, we will extract your DNA from the amount of blood we collect for research during the initial and follow-up visits and store it for the time needed for our research within the context program.
Lifestyle
We are interested in better understanding the effect of lifestyle habits and environment on brain health and memory. More specifically, we want to know which habits are beneficial for preserving good memory or for slowing down the development of Alzheimer's disease. This component includes a series of questionnaires—which can be completed on a computer from the comfort of your home—related to your personality, your social activities, your entourage, your habits, etc. These questionnaires are typically sent out annually or, sometimes, following the annual visit.
Study partner
Following popular demand on behalf of our participants and their families expressing a desire to have their voices heard and establish a closer link with our Centre, a “Study Partner” component is now active within our program. Study partners may be contacted by telephone in the days preceding the annual visits in order to answer a few questions about the participant's lifestyle habits and the state of their memory.
Transmission of Results
For ethical and legal reasons, experimental results (genetics, protein levels, MRI measurements, etc.) are not communicated to participants. However, if we observe a decrease in performance on cognitive assessments or performance below expectations for one's age, a consultation at a memory clinic will be offered. Memory specialists such as doctors, neuropsychologists and psychiatrists will be able to help identify the source of any memory problems as well as possible solutions.
How to go about joining our research program?
This year in 2024, recruitment carries on. Indeed, we have an impressive waiting list of enthusiastic people, eager to participate. We are actively working to move the process forward as quickly as possible, while ensuring that the quality and effectiveness of the process are maintained.
After having carefully read all of the above information, individuals interested in participating in our study may sign up on our waiting list by filling in the following form: