A cohort study to validate brain maps and biomarkers for Alzheimer’s dementia prediction

초록

The potential biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which are newly developed in a cohort should be validated in the other cohort. The subjects of the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Elderly diagnosis and prediction dementia (KBASE) are recruited from centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The objective of this study is to establish a nationwide cohort to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of techniques for prediction and early diagnosis of AD dementia. The network of researchers from Gyeongsang-do, Chungcheong-do, and Gangwon-do was established. A nationwide elderly cohort from Gyeongsang-do, Chungcheong-do, and Gangwon-do was established. The protocol of this cohort study was the same as the KBASE cohort. Researchers were educated about the protocol and study methods. The protocol was approved from the Institutional Review Board in each center. The cohort consisted of 116 normal elderly, 73 subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 57 patients with early dementia due to AD dementia. They will administer extensive neuropsychological tests annually. Brain MRI, laboratory tests, and amyloid PET will be done to them every two years. The MRI data of this cohort will be compared with those of 1st part of the KBASE. The neuropsychological data and amyloid PET data of this cohort will be compared with those of 2nd part of the KBASE. The potential blood biomarkers of AD will be replicated in this cohort. The MRI and PET brain maps of normal aging and AD will be also replicated in this cohort. This study is ongoing and will be done from October 2014 to June 2019.