Project description
Explaining resistance to dementia
In ageing populations, the adoption of a proper lifestyle could be an optimal choice to prevent cognitive impairment or dementia during a preclinical phase. We lack the knowledge to decide who should implement certain measures and when. Explaining why some persons are resistant to brain pathology or are resilient to cognitive decline, while others are not, is the missing key. The EU-funded DIVERT-AD project will address these questions by analysing genetics, lifestyle, neuropsychology, and brain imaging data from three large population-based cohorts. More specifically, advanced epidemiological methods will help uncover lifestyle factors influencing early signs of brain pathology, as well as cognition and memory before clinical dementia sets in.
Objective
Preventing or delaying late life cognitive impairment and dementia through lifestyle interventions is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. The long preclinical phase of dementia offers an ideal time window for prevention measures, but the best timing and target group is not known. In this regard, it will become essential to understand why some elderly at-risk individuals are resistant to developing significant brain pathology and why in those with manifested brain pathology, some individuals are resilient against cognitive decline. In DIVERT-AD, I aim to unravel how modifiable lifestyle factors contribute to resistance and resilience to dementia by exploiting longitudinal population brain imaging. The key objectives are to determine whether a favourable lifestyle profile in mid- and late-life can attenuate (1) higher early-life risk of developing neuropathology, and/or (2) the adverse effect of neuropathology on cognition and then (3) to apply this knowledge to one of the first population-based positron emission tomography investigations of amyloid pathology, the key hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. To achieve these goals, I will combine genetics, lifestyle, neuropsychology and brain imaging data from three large population-based cohorts, the Rotterdam Study, Framingham Heart Study and UK Biobank, including a total of ~47,000 participants. Neuropathology will be first determined by magnetic resonance imaging techniques measuring neurodegenerative and vascular pathologies and will be later refined by molecular imaging of amyloid plaques (~700 participants). Advanced epidemiological methods will be used to account for time-varying effects of lifestyle measures and confounders. Results from DIVERT-AD will provide unique insights into the impact of lifestyle factors on the brain and cognition in the preclinical phase of dementia. In turn, these insights are of major importance for developing targeted prevention strategies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia alzheimer
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3015 GD Rotterdam
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.