Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 4

ADNI4 is looking for around 1,500 people aged between 55 and 90 years old, from across the United States and Canada. They are interested in people from three different groups: those with normal memory, those with mild memory problems (Mild Cognitive Impairment), and those with Alzheimer's disease (dementia).

If you have normal memory, you would need to show good memory function on specific tests. You would also need to score well on a general mental abilities test (Mini-Mental State Exam) and not have any significant impacts on your daily life. It's important that any regular medications you take have been stable for at least 4 weeks, and certain other medications that affect the brain might need to be stopped beforehand.

If you have mild memory problems, you would need to be experiencing some memory concerns that you or someone close to you has noticed, and specific memory tests would confirm these changes. The study will look at your individual situation carefully to see if you're a good fit.

If you join ADNI4, you will be involved in the study for up to five years. During this time, you'll have regular visits where you'll undergo various assessments. This includes detailed memory and thinking tests, some of which might be done on a computer. You'll also have special brain scans, including PET scans (which look for specific proteins in the brain) and MRI scans (which give detailed pictures of the brain structure).

You'll also provide samples for biomarker and genetic testing, which could include blood tests and sometimes a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to collect cerebrospinal fluid. All these tests help researchers understand how Alzheimer's progresses. The study is observational, meaning you won't be given any experimental treatments; instead, researchers are just watching and collecting information about how your condition changes over time. Some parts of the study might even be done from your home using web-based tools.