The National Centre of Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease (NCER-PD) has launched an online survey for everyone in Luxembourg between ages 50 and 80 to explore methods for risk prediction of neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer’s. The researchers hope to reach 10,000 participants by the closing date of October 2023. The study, entitled “Healthy Ageing”, focuses on risk prediction methods and identifying people at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. Residents in Luxembourg and the Greater Region – between 50 and 80 years old and not diagnosed with Parkinson's or dementia – are invited to complete a detailed online questionnaire covering various areas such as demographics, occupation, lifestyle and medical history. This information will allow the researchers to calculate individual risk scores and to offer people with specific high or low scores the possibility of benefitting from further in-depth testing and to participate in a long-term study. “We hope to ascertain the influence of different potential risk factors and that this will help us progress towards targeted prevention for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease,” details Prof. Rejko Krüger, coordinator of the NCER-PD. The survey is part of a collaboration with research centres in Germany, Austria and Spain.
The objective is to reach several thousand participants in each location. “As always for advances in clinical research, the active participation of volunteers is key,” highlights Prof. Krüger. “We are very thankful to those who dedicate some of their precious time to this important research. The information they provide is crucial to learn more about the risk factors and initial symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases and to develop novel prevention strategies that are urgently needed for these incurable diseases.” Identifying people close to developing dementia will be crucial once curative treatments are available. In Luxembourg, the project is organised by NCER-PD in collaboration with the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Health. The project is supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. To learn more about “Healthy Ageing” and to participate, visit: https://www.heba.lu/en/