What is this Study about?

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition among people 65 and older and increases the risk of social isolation, depression, communication difficulties and dementia. Dementia risk may be reduced through hearing rehabilitation, and it is critical to develop tools for identifying hearing loss and its impact on communication. The Hearing and Functioning in Everyday Life Questionnaire (HFEQ) is a measure to identify hearing loss and everyday life functioning, not yet been evaluated for people with combined hearing loss and cognitive impairment. To bridge this gap, the aim is to evaluate the HFEQ for this group. The study has a cross-sectional observational study design. Adults over 60 years, with hearing loss and with and without cognitive impairment will be recruited. Data collection will include a cognitive and hearing assessment, assessment of conversation effectiveness and efficiency, hearing and general health history and five questionnaires (HFEQ, the Life-Space questionnaire, the Social Functioning in Dementia scale, and the PROMIS anxiety and depression scales).

What is this Study about?

This randomized controlled study evaluates the efficacy of a hippocampus-targeted, computerized spatial memory intervention in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Participants (≥55 years) will be randomized to either (a) a spatial memory intervention program or (b) an active placebo. Primary outcomes are changes in memory and cognition from baseline to post-training and 6-month follow-up, assessed with standardized neuropsychological measures and validated spatial memory tasks. Secondary outcomes include everyday functioning, quality of life, perceived stress, and related psychosocial indices.  

A neuroimaging sub-study acquires structural MRI and task-based fMRI to quantify hippocampal morphometry and functional recruitment; we hypothesize training-related improvements will correlate with hippocampal structural/functional change. Exploratory biomarkers (lipids, glucose/insulin for HOMA-IR, cortisol) and polygenic risk scores for dementia are obtained to control inter-individual variability and potential moderators/mediators of training response. The central hypothesis is that sustained, strategy-level engagement of hippocampus-dependent spatial memory will improve cognitive performance in MCI and yield convergent MRI biomarker signatures, supporting experience-dependent plasticity and informing scalable, non-pharmacologic interventions for delaying cognitive decline. 

What is this Study about?

This study will assess if an in-vehicle Driving Monitoring System can identify differences in driving behaviours between older adults who are cognitively healthy, those with mild cognitive impairment, and those with mild dementia. 

What is this Study about?

Many older adults start to experience poorer sleep quality as they age, which can be associated with worse memory and cognition. Previous studies have shown that sleep can be improved when quiet sounds are presented at the right times during slow-wave sleep. We are interested in whether we can improve sleep and associated memory and cognitive function using these sounds in older adults. Information gathered from this study will be used to inform whether quiet sounds presented during slow-wave sleep can improve sleep, memory, and cognitive function.

What is this Study about?

This study aims to evaluate the acceptance and usability of the GuardIO Family Care app, a mobile application designed to support community safety for individuals living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their care partners. The study also aims to analyze mobility patterns collected from the app to explore how mobility data can contribute to the early detection of cognitive impairment. The findings will help improve app design, inform care strategies, and support early intervention efforts for individuals living with dementia or MCI.

What is this Study about?

The study involves a primary session of paper-and-pencil tasks, and a second session of a computer task, while your heart rate and brain activity is monitored. The aim of the study is to examine how signals are affected from the body to the brain.

What is this Study about?

The aim of this study is to develop a large, ethically sources, and diverse database of voice recordings to determine whether voice has biomarkers for particular disease categories, including neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions. The data that is collected will be used to develop a full open-access database to fuel artificial intelligence research related to voice.

What is this Study about?

CAN-PROTECT is a Canada-wide online study recruiting participants and caregivers of persons with dementia to explore how lifestyle, background, and caretaking factors affect our health, quality of life, cognition, behaviour, and function as we age. CAN-PROTECT data will be analyzed and jointly published by the University of Calgary in partnership with the University of Exeter.

What is this Study about?

Our study titled "Investigating the Role of Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping and Oxygen Extraction Fraction as Advanced Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease" aims to develop non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). We focus on evaluating the potential of QSM and OEF to differentiate between AD, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Cognitively Unimpaired populations and to predict amyloid and tau pathology, using a Systems Biology approach. Leveraging the McGill University's TRIAD cohort, the study utilizes advanced imaging and machine learning to predict amyloid and tau presence, which could transform AD diagnostics and treatment. Methodologically, it involves preprocessing neuroimaging data and employing machine learning classifiers to analyze these features. The anticipated outcomes include validating QSM and OEF as non-invasive biomarkers for AD, establishing their correlation with amyloid and tau proteins, and developing predictive models for clinical decision-making, potentially resulting in significant advancements in AD diagnostics.