Research Studies

     The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is a comprehensive national study on aging which originally started in 2010.  Over 50 000 participants between 45 and 85 years of age have been recruited from communities across Canada.  This study collects lifestyle and health information; biological specimens; and physical, psychological, social and demographic measures. In 2021, funding was obtained to include brain imaging leading to the CLSA-COVID and CLSA-BRAIN sub-studies. These comprehensive data will improve our understanding of the risk factors that lead to and impact subtle brain changes that occur with age.

CLSA-COV

     Longstanding participants in the CLSA parent study may be asked to participate in the CLSA COVID-19 Brain study. The overarching goal of the CLSA COVID-19 Brain Study is to better understand how COVID-19 affects cognition and the brain -- both immediately after infection and in the longer term.  This study involves completing a phone interview regarding cognition, feelings, lifestyle.  It also involves having magnetic resonance imaging at a local clinic, as well as completing an olfactory (scratch and sniff) test and providing a stool sample by mail. 

     Analyzing MRIs, stool samples, olfactory tests, and accompanying data collected from participants will allow us to determine the effect of COVID-19 on human cognition and brain health.

CLSA-BRAIN

     The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging-Brain: Neuroimaging Correlates of Cognition from Midlife to Old Age (CLSA-BRAIN) will examine magnetic resonance imaging measurements of brain changes, structural connectivity, and functional connectivity in relation to cognitive performance at baseline and cognitive changes over the 3-year period. The findings from this study will help our understanding of the neurological basis of successful cognitive aging.

     The COMPASS-ND study is a Canada-wide observational study of people with different types of dementia and neurodegenerative disorders. Through biosample collection, cognitive testing, and neuroimaging, COMPASS-ND aims to study these disorders in the hopes of further understanding, diagnosing, and treating them. We hope to learn more about who is at risk of developing these disorders, how early they can be detected, and what tests are the most effective at diagnosing them. 

     The FAVR study is an observational study that aims to further understand brain diseases, particularly cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). With sites in both Calgary and Edmonton, participants undergo neuroimaging, blood sample collection, and cognitive testing over a 2-year period. The ultimate goal of the study is to develop new ways of diagnosing CAA and other conditions, as well as learn more about the prognosis of these conditions. 

     Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by the extracellular accumulation of amyloid-beta plaques and intracellular micro-tubule associated protein tau tangles, resulting in a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that clinically manifests most often as amnestic pattern of cognitive decline.(1-5) AD leads to progressive functional decline and is the leading cause of Dementia after mixed-dementia with concomitant cerebrovascular disease.(5-7) 

     To the best of our knowledge, there has been no systematic review summarizing minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) using either anchor based or distribution-based methods to define MCID in established cognitive and functional outcomes in Alzheimer’s Disease clinical trials. In light of the FDA’s recent approval of Lecanumab, a rapid systematic review summarizing MCIDs across relevant outcomes in AD is necessary and would likely have great impact as an adjunctive resource for clinicians monitoring and evaluating clinically meaningful changes in those receiving new immunotherapies for AD.    

     The Prospective Registry for Persons with Memory Symptoms (PROMPT) collects de-identified data from patients seen at the Cognitive Neurosciences Clinic at Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary. These data are used to better understand the health and quality of life of persons with cognitive symptoms who attend the clinic.

     The Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiologic (PURE) study is an international multi-centre longitudinal study examining individual, household, community and societal factors of cardiovascular disease.  The PURE-MIND sub-study aims to establish the prevalence of ‘silent stroke’ and identify risk factors associated with covert brain ischemia and further our understanding of the potential clinical consequences.  Individuals already enrolled in the PURE study from Vancouver, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Montreal have been recruited into the PURE-MIND study, which includes magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cognitive assessments.