A photo of Susan Landau next to a computer that shows PET brain scan images
Susan Landau, a research neuroscientist at UC Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, is principal investigator of the add-on study. (UC Berkeley photo by Malachi Tran)
According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2019 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, an estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number may nearly triple to 13.8 million by 2050.
Previous results suggest that lifestyle changes may benefit the brain health of older adults more than pharmacological treatments. For example, the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) showed that in at-risk adults, lifestyle intervention improved cognitive function by 25 percent relative to adults who only received health education.
U.S. POINTER is unique in its recruitment approach, which specifically aims to include a geographically and racially diverse population. This can help ensure the intervention will be applicable to a large proportion of older individuals. Four sites (Winston-Salem, NC; Houston, TX; Davis, CA, and Chicago, IL) have been chosen for U.S. POINTER, with one more site planning to come online later this year.
The study hopes to recruit around 2,000 participants, just over one-half of which will be assessed with PET imaging at the start of the study and at two years to measure the build up of amyloid and tau. They will also be assessed with MRI at baseline, one year, and two years to measure the size of brain regions, identify lesions related to strokes or other vascular changes, and observe changes in brain blood flow.
“This groundbreaking project is an unparalleled examination of how lifestyle ‘therapies’ may change our brain in ways that are related to Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and overall brain health,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“U.S. POINTER is designed to determine what lifestyle interventions have a tangible impact on our brains. The addition of brain imaging is an important component that could provide the roadmap for brain health to reduce the risk of dementia before symptoms have a chance to appear,” Carrillo said.
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