Memory Research Study at UC Irvine
The BEACoN group at UCI is looking for healthy adults aged 60 and older to participate in a study looking at the factors that contribute to changes in thinking and memory with increasing age. We will also test the usefulness of brain imaging and cognitive testing in detecting subtle changes in the brain that precede cognitive decline. Join today!
Fast Facts
60 years and older
no major health conditions
no diagnosis of cognitive impairment
Compensation Provided, no cost to participants
Conducted at UCI in Irvine, CA
Study Background
We are working on a research study of how certain proteins in the brain may affect thinking and memory in adults 60 years and older. We use a combination of paper and pencil tests, computer memory tests, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans to understand how the brain makes memories and retrieves them, and the biological processes that affect memory in healthy aging and as a consequence of disease.
Your participation in this study will help researchers learn more about the biological changes that occur in the brain with aging, and which factors are involved in cognitive decline. Further, this study seeks to evaluate which tools and techniques are most helpful in identifying very subtle changes in the brain before thinking and memory are affected.
Help further brain aging and memory research and join our study today!
Study Background
We are working on a research study of how certain proteins in the brain may affect thinking and memory in adults 60 years and older. We use a combination of paper and pencil tests, computer memory tests, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans to understand how the brain makes memories and retrieves them, and the biological processes that affect memory in healthy aging and as a consequence of disease.
Your participation in this study will help researchers learn more about the biological changes that occur in the brain with aging, and which factors are involved in cognitive decline. Further, this study seeks to evaluate which tools and techniques are most helpful in identifying very subtle changes in the brain before thinking and memory are affected.
Help further brain aging and memory research and join our study today!
Additional Information
You may qualify for this study if you meet the following criteria.
Key Criteria:
- 60+ years old
- Speak English or Spanish fluently
- Good general physical and cognitive health with no disease(s) or condition(s) expected to interfere with the study
- Willing and able to participate for the duration of the study and in all procedures including the brain imaging and blood draw
During the first study visit (which can be split over multiple days), participants will complete cognitive testing, computer tasks, a fitness test, blood draw and an MRI brain scan. The second visit will include the PET scan to measure the amyloid protein in the brain. The third visit will include a different PET scan to measure the tau protein in the brain. One year later after the first visit is completed, participants will be asked to return to complete the visits again to look at changes over time in the assessments.
