Deep and Frequent Phenotyping study
One of the big challenges facing dementia researchers is how to diagnose and track Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages – often decades before symptoms start to show. The Deep and Frequent Phenotyping study will help scientists to identify the best early warning signs of this condition, and to track responses to treatments.
Study overview
Damage to the brain can start to occur many years before we see symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers need to be able to investigate and test treatments at this critical early stage. At present, proving that a new early-stage treatment works is difficult because any symptoms will be a long way off.
The Deep and Frequent Phenotyping (DFP) study aims to address this by creating a database of different measures taken from people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. These measures include regular brain scans, cognitive and memory tests, scans of magnetic fields generated by the brain, retinal imaging, blood tests, and the use of wearable technology to measure movement, gait and ongoing cognitive abilities. In the future, we will be able to use the data obtained through DFP to understand if early interventions are working.
DFP is recruiting 250 participants from across the UK who are over 60 and in good health, but with a family history of dementia. Not all of the study sites have the capacity to do every type of testing, so some participants will travel to nearby centres for certain tests. Enabling research teams to make use of facilities in other centres is a key reason behind DPUK’s ongoing work to set up standardised protocols for use within dementia research in the UK.
For its size, DFP is the world’s most detailed study to date into preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. It will provide the most comprehensive set of assessments ever completed in this group of people. Data from the study will be made available to researchers via the secure DPUK Data Portal.
The DFP study is run from within DPUK, led by Dr Vanessa Raymont of the University of Oxford, and is jointly funded by the MRC and NIHR.
Visit the trial registration page for more detailed information on how to take part.
If you want to help fight dementia, this is one of the best ways to do it. - Gillian (DFP study participant)
View the study protocol
Deep and Frequent Phenotyping study protocol: an observational study in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease
Ivan Koychev et al, (2019), BMJ, 9
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