Track your memory via an online study
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Have you ever worried if your everyday forgetfulness could indicate something worse, like dementia?
A free 20-minute test, repeated every six months, may be a good way to track your cognitive health over time.
The Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy offers such a test to anyone ages 50 to 85 without dementia.
Sponsored by the University of Southern California (USC) with funding from the National Institute on Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, the study can be conducted entirely online.
“The purpose of this study is to engage with older individuals who may be concerned with brain health,” said Dr. Paul Aisen, principal investigator of the APT Webstudy and professor at USC.
Aisen, who has been conducting research on Alzheimer’s disease for 40 years, founded the USC Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute in 2015.
How the study works
The Webstudy is only an observational study, so no medications, scans or bloodwork are required.
“It’s not burdensome to participate. We hope it’s engaging and may even be enjoyable,” Aisen said.
“We think people will value what they learn from participating, and they will value the ability to monitor their own brain health.”
After you sign up, you complete a 15-minute cognitive test. This test, known as the Boston Remote Assessment for Neurocognitive Health (BRANCH), is given for five consecutive days every six months.
Every three months, you will complete a five-minute test called the Cognitive Function Index (CFI).
Participants will receive the results of these tests. If the results are concerning, Aisen’s team may contact you to recommend clinical trials for you to consider joining.
In the meantime, his researchers send out up-to-date information about the latest research on Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Access to clinical trials
Launched seven years ago, the APT Webstudy has about 60,000 participants so far. Aisen’s team hopes to gather 200,000 people so they can identify participants for clinical trials related to Alzheimer’s.
“We provide information about multiple studies, and we pre-screen individuals that are in the Webstudy to see if they may be candidates for our clinical trials,” Aisen explained.
Of course, participants can take part in the program without volunteering for any clinical trials, and they can drop out at any time.
To join the APT Webstudy, see aptwebstudy.org.
