Testad Ingelin, Aakre Jon Arild, Gjestsen Martha Therese, Ballard Clive, Corbett Anne, Aarsland Dag, Pickering Ellie, Ushakova Anastasia
Centre for Age-Related Medicine - SESAM, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
College of Medicine and Health, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX1 2LU, United Kingdom.
JMIR Aging. 2025 Aug 25;8:e69867. doi: 10.2196/69867.
With the growing number of older adults in the Norwegian population and the associated rapid rise in dementia and cognitive impairment, novel and more efficient methodologies are needed to facilitate research, improve diagnostic triage, and deliver effective brain health interventions in the community. Platform for Research Online to Investigate Genetics and Cognition in Ageing Norge (PROTECT Norge) is a web-based, remote research platform on the aging brain, culturally adapted from the UK PROTECT study, incorporating a Norwegian cohort of adults aged 50 years and older, where participants complete study activities via a dedicated website. Data were collected through study activities, which included self-reported questionnaires and a computerized neuropsychological test battery.
The study aimed to assess associations between dementia risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, smoking, and hearing loss, and cognition using baseline data from the PROTECT Norge study.
Data from the PROTECT Norge study were used to assess associations between dementia risk factors and cognition. These associations were assessed using independent-sample t tests for each of the cognitive tests, which included paired associate learning, self-ordered search, digit span, and verbal reasoning tasks.
During the first 2 years of data collection, records from 3214 participants were obtained. Associations between established risk factors and cognitive performance were found, with significant detriments to cognitive performance on the computerized neuropsychological test battery. In the PROTECT Norge cohort, consisting of 74.5% females, the mean age was 64.1 (SD 7.7), and 94% of participants provided consent for contact regarding future research.
These data show the associations between dementia risk factors and cognition and attest to the excellent feasibility of the PROTECT Norge cohort, with over 3000 participants included over a period of 2 years and accessibility for people with early cognitive impairment. This, combined with the cohort's willingness to participate in future studies (94%), positions PROTECT Norge as a tremendous opportunity for cost-efficient, large-scale brain health research and potentially for clinical digital cognitive health programs.
随着挪威人口中老年人口数量的增加以及随之而来的痴呆症和认知障碍的迅速上升，需要新颖且更有效的方法来促进研究、改善诊断分类，并在社区中提供有效的脑健康干预措施。挪威老龄化在线研究遗传学与认知平台（PROTECT Norge）是一个基于网络的远程研究平台，用于研究衰老大脑，它是根据英国的PROTECT研究进行文化适应性调整的，纳入了50岁及以上的挪威成年人队列，参与者通过专门的网站完成研究活动。数据通过研究活动收集，包括自我报告问卷和计算机化神经心理测试组。
本研究旨在使用PROTECT Norge研究的基线数据评估痴呆症风险因素（包括肥胖、高血压、吸烟和听力损失）与认知之间的关联。
PROTECT Norge研究的数据用于评估痴呆症风险因素与认知之间的关联。这些关联通过对每个认知测试使用独立样本t检验进行评估，认知测试包括配对联想学习、自我排序搜索、数字广度和言语推理任务。
在数据收集的前两年，获得了3214名参与者的记录。发现既定风险因素与认知表现之间存在关联，计算机化神经心理测试组的认知表现受到显著损害。在PROTECT Norge队列中，女性占74.5%，平均年龄为64.1岁（标准差7.7），94%的参与者同意就未来研究进行联系。
这些数据显示了痴呆症风险因素与认知之间的关联，并证明了PROTECT Norge队列的极佳可行性，在两年时间内纳入了超过3000名参与者，且早期认知障碍患者也可参与。这一点，再加上该队列参与未来研究的意愿（94%），使PROTECT Norge成为开展具有成本效益的大规模脑健康研究以及潜在的临床数字认知健康项目的绝佳机会。
