DEMDAS

General

While the risks of contracting dementia after a stroke are high (post stroke dementia – PSD), the reasons why this is so are poorly understood. In particular, few data are available on how vascular and neurodegenerative changes affect the development of PSD. DEMDAS researchers will study the longitudinal course of interactions between vascular and neurodegenerative pathologies, and seek to identify the factors that lead to the development of post stroke dementia.

DEMDAS is a longitudinal, multicentric observational study that will run for a period of five years, with a total of 600 participants. It will include acute stroke patients whose stroke event has occurred within a period not longer than 120 hours prior to their joining the study. Participants will be recruited by certified stroke units at the study centers. At various times (0, 6, 12, 36 and 60 months following the stroke), the study participants will be comprehensively examined, in a personal appointment, with regard to the development of a dementia. In addition, participants will be interviewed by phone, at intervals of three, 24 and 48 months after joining the study.

The personal appointments will include a medical examination, a detailed neuropsychological test + cranial MRI scan, the taking of a blood sample and an EKG. They will also include a personal interview with the participant and with an accompanying person who can provide relevant information (such as a life partner, or a close friend or acquaintance). If necessary, an amyloid PET scan is performed to investigate any protein (beta-amyloid) plaque in the brain.

The telephone interviews will have a standardized format. They will be conducted with the help of questionnaires and will last approximately 20 minutes.

Principle Investigator: Prof. Dr. Martin Dichgans
Start of the study: 2014
Status: multi centric, ongoing, recruiting completed