The EPAD team across Europe looked to find people who were suitable to take part in a clinical trial for medications which expected to delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Research participants came from all walks of life, but the one thing that they had in common is that they didn’t have a dementia diagnosis. It was important that we had a wide range of people with different risks of developing Alzheimer’s disease in order to understand the brain changes linked to the development of dementia.
Who participated in EPAD?
We looked for participants who:
- Were aged 50 or over
- Had no dementia diagnosis
- Were willing to consider taking part in clinical trials
- Were willing to take part in regular study assessments involving memory tests, brain scans and research samples (blood, saliva, spinal fluid and urine tests)
- Had a friend or relative who knew them well and was willing to be their study partner throughout the study
How participants were involved?
There was a number of ways to be involved in EPAD: via ongoing cohort studies, referral clinics and national registers.
Cohort studies: Potential research participants were selected from ongoing cohort studies in Europe, also known as parent cohorts.
Referral clinics: EPAD had a network of trial delivery centres recruiting research participants across Europe.
Joining the EPAD Study
Potential EPAD participants were contacted through their existing parent cohort. If they were invited and happy to join the EPAD study, they became a participant in the EPAD Longitudinal Cohort Study, or LCS. A longitudinal cohort study was a research method in which data was gathered for the same individuals repeatedly over a period of time. If you was an EPAD LCS participant, it involved regular assessments over several years.
Find out more about EPAD study visits.