Aging, Cognition, Cognition Disorders, Cognition Improvement
Conditions
Keywords
aging, cognition, gut microbiota, multi-omics, brain
Brief summary
The Westlake Ageing Cohort (WeAC) is a longitudinal cohort study conducted in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The investigators aim to enroll 2,800 participants aged 55 years and older for long-term follow-up. The population will include individuals with neurodegenerative diseases or those at the prodromal stage of cognitive impairment, as well as healthy middle-aged and older adults serving as controls. The investigators will collect their sociodemographic, dietary, lifestyle, clinical, and neuroimaging data, as well as biological samples.
Detailed description
The investigators will recruit middle-aged and aged participants, including healthy controls and individuals with neurodegenerative disorders such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), etc. The aim of this study is to construct a longitudinal database that includes sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, neuroimaging, and multi-omics data. This database will be used to characterize the molecular signatures of neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, the investigators will identify biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, the investigators aim to uncover the mechanisms underlying the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Westlake University
Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University
The Third People's Hospital of Hangzhou
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
55 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Age between 55 and 90 years (inclusive) at baseline. 2. Availability of a companion capable of providing independent functional assessments and fluent in Chinese. 3. Willingness and ability to regularly complete required surveys and physical examinations as per study protocol. 4. MMSE scores were required to be 24-30 (inclusive) for healthy controls and MCI; and 20-24 (inclusive) for AD and DLB/PDD patients. 5. Healthy controls: CDR = 0, memory box = 0. MCI: CDR = 0.5, memory box ≥ 0.5. AD: CDR = 0.5 or 1. The DLB/PDD meets the core features of diagnosis. 6. Healthy controls exhibit no significant cognitive or functional decline. Patients with MCI have objective cognitive impairment not sufficient for an AD diagnosis. AD patients fulfill the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. DLB/PDD patients meet their respective international consensus diagnostic criteria. Other neurodegenerative diseases meet the diagnostic criteria.
Exclusion criteria
1. Participants with major medical or neuropsychiatric conditions unrelated to the study purposes were excluded. These included, but were not limited to, psychiatric disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, structural brain abnormalities, and epilepsy. 2. Current use of psychoactive medications or any other drugs that may affect the study. 3. Participants with cardiac pacemakers, artificial heart valves, or metallic implants in the eyes, skin, or any other part of the body. 4. Participants with any other diseases that may affect the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive function | 48 months | Cognitive function will be evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, score range: 0-30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive function) and clinical diagnosis provided by physicians. |
| Gut microbiome | 48 months | The gut microbiome will be profiled by metagenomic sequencing or ITS rRNA sequencing. In addition, fecal microbiota will be cultured, isolated, and identified. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brain magnetic resonance imaging | 48 months | Use brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the brain structure and function of participants. |
| Positron emission tomography | 48 months | Assess the brain function and neurological disorders by positron emission tomography (PET). |
| Brain images relevant inspections | 48 months | Other brain image relevant inspections required for study to measure brain structure and function of participants. |
| Electroencephalogram | 48 months | Electroencephalogram (EEG) monitors the electrical activity of the brain. And further measure based on coupled EEG/MEG and eye-tracking. |
| Blood biochemical parameters | 48 months | Blood biochemical parameters, including glucose and lipids, will be analyzed using an automated biochemical analyzer. |
| Serum inflammatory factors | 48 months | Detect and assess serum inflammatory factors such as IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12, in serum from participants. |
| Health and behavior monitoring | 48 months | Use fitness trackers to record the physiological and behavioral data of participants. |
| Sleep data measurement | 48 months | Use the polysomnography (PSG) to record the sleep data of participants to evaluate the sleep quality. |
| Continuous glucose monitoring | 48 months | Use the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for dynamic blood glucose recording to determine the glycemic control of participants. |
| Environmental measurement | 48 months | Use the environmental monitoring device to measure various exposure factors in the participants' living environment. |
| Multi-omics data | 48 months | Multi omics results of detecting biological samples such as plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), urine, feces, saliva, etc. |
Countries
China
Contacts
CONTACTJu-Sheng Zheng, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJu-Sheng Zheng, PhD
Westlake University
Outcome results
None listed