Synexus, a global site management organization, is partnering with the University of Exeter in the U.K. to launch a registry-based study in the U.S. to better understand how healthy brains age.
Dubbed the Synexus HealthyMinds Registry, the study aims to register 30,000 adults age 50 or older who do not exhibit signs of dementia. The five-year study will look at lifestyle and genetic risk factors that affect cognitive function in order to identify potential methods of prevention and potential treatments.
Synexus is working with Acurian, a patient enrollment provider, on the enrollment process. The first phase of the study will be conducted online, allowing for participation in cognitive assessments, brain-training exercises, and lifestyle and medical questionnaires to be done from participants homes.
“Our study in the United States will provide valuable information about how the brain changes with age, which combination of factors such as exercise and diet really work, and how we can best encourage people to adopt these changes,” Clive Ballard, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said in a statement. “This is already proving successful in the U.K., where more than 25,000 people have signed up to help develop better future approaches to prevention and treatment, and we’re delighted to help bring this opportunity to the U.S.”
Participants in the study will also be informed of clinical trials of new treatments for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.