Brain imaging and cognitive ageing in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: IV
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Centre Cogn Ageing and Cogn Epidemiology
Abstract
As older people form an increasingly large proportion of human populations across the planet, greater resources will be needed for their management and care. Cognitive ageing, the process by which some cognitive abilities decline in older age, is of particular concern, leading as it does to reduced quality of life, loss of independence, and, in its later stages, increased risk of dementia. Characterising the biological causes of cognitive ageing is therefore important if we are to reduce the burden of ageing at both the individual and societal level. Those over 80 years old are more likely to require assistance to live independently, and are at almost double the risk of dementia, yet we understand little about the brain and cognitive changes that come about at this age, and which factors might be most important to ameliorate this in future.
The Medical Research Council has highlighted the importance of understanding how, and to what degree, ageing of the circulatory (vascular) system is related to brain ageing. In this proposal we request funds to collect and analyse brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from participants of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. They are a large group of relatively healthy community-dwelling subjects who are unique in having cognitive data from youth (a well-validated measure of IQ obtained at age 11 years), ongoing linkage to their health records, and repeat cognitive testing, brain, retinal and carotid imaging, genetic, epigenetic, lifestyle, psychological, social and other important information obtained from ages 70, 73, 76, 79 years. Age UK has funded a new wave of testing to begin shortly, in which we will collect much of these data again at age 82 years. Having brain imaging and vascular information collected at the same time is vital, since the both systems can change rapidly at this age; data collection at this age is also vital because we will have a large enough number of people to detect the subtle changes and links that are likely to exist among these different types of measure, which we will be well-situated to examine in detail. As such, we judge that this is an important chance - for which we request funds - to add brain imaging data to this upcoming wave. We also plan to make the scan shorter and more tolerable for these participants in future, and so will conduct a pilot to test comparability of the current scanner with a newer machine (which reduces scan times and can collect other potentially informative data).
A fourth wave of brain MRI will be highly valuable - it is extremely rare to have rich longitudinal data over a preceding decade for individuals in their eighties. This longer period of follow up will enable more precise detection of different aspects of brain structural decline (e.g. brain shrinkage, damage to the brain's connections), and its relation to the factors most responsible (e.g. genetics, diet, exercise) and their impact on thinking skills. Understanding these relationships is an important step in helping to develop strategies to slow age-related cognitive decline, and in characterising what role cognitive ageing plays in heralding dementia.
Importantly, this grant would also support staff crucial for conducting these investigations. The present application is for minority funding for a project whose principal funder is Age UK, which supports 9 staff, and the collection of the cognitive, medical, biomarker, and psychosocial data, their collation and analyses.
The Medical Research Council has highlighted the importance of understanding how, and to what degree, ageing of the circulatory (vascular) system is related to brain ageing. In this proposal we request funds to collect and analyse brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from participants of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. They are a large group of relatively healthy community-dwelling subjects who are unique in having cognitive data from youth (a well-validated measure of IQ obtained at age 11 years), ongoing linkage to their health records, and repeat cognitive testing, brain, retinal and carotid imaging, genetic, epigenetic, lifestyle, psychological, social and other important information obtained from ages 70, 73, 76, 79 years. Age UK has funded a new wave of testing to begin shortly, in which we will collect much of these data again at age 82 years. Having brain imaging and vascular information collected at the same time is vital, since the both systems can change rapidly at this age; data collection at this age is also vital because we will have a large enough number of people to detect the subtle changes and links that are likely to exist among these different types of measure, which we will be well-situated to examine in detail. As such, we judge that this is an important chance - for which we request funds - to add brain imaging data to this upcoming wave. We also plan to make the scan shorter and more tolerable for these participants in future, and so will conduct a pilot to test comparability of the current scanner with a newer machine (which reduces scan times and can collect other potentially informative data).
A fourth wave of brain MRI will be highly valuable - it is extremely rare to have rich longitudinal data over a preceding decade for individuals in their eighties. This longer period of follow up will enable more precise detection of different aspects of brain structural decline (e.g. brain shrinkage, damage to the brain's connections), and its relation to the factors most responsible (e.g. genetics, diet, exercise) and their impact on thinking skills. Understanding these relationships is an important step in helping to develop strategies to slow age-related cognitive decline, and in characterising what role cognitive ageing plays in heralding dementia.
Importantly, this grant would also support staff crucial for conducting these investigations. The present application is for minority funding for a project whose principal funder is Age UK, which supports 9 staff, and the collection of the cognitive, medical, biomarker, and psychosocial data, their collation and analyses.
Technical Summary
Studying brain structural changes that accompany older age is useful for understanding the biological underpinnings of cognitive ageing, and for reducing the dementia risk in the elderly. We seek funds to acquire a 4th wave of brain MRI from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, a large group of relatively healthy subjects in their early eighties, all of whom were born in 1936 (N=1,091 at recruitment). The cohort has a wide range of phenotypic data from older age (at 70, 73, 76, 79) including cognitive, genetic, epigenetic, lifestyle, physical and medical, with MRI data at ages 73, 76 and 79. Uniquely, they also have a measure of childhood intelligence from age 11. A fourth brain MRI scan (at 82) confers important benefits - multi-wave, multi-modal MRI data is lacking for people in their 9th decade. The longer duration and extra sampling point gives greater statistical power to detect small associations with determinants, and with which to characterise patterns of brain ageing more precisely. The availability of longitudinal retinal imaging, carotid ultrasound, blood pressure, medical history, blood assays (e.g. S100B, inflammation) can be combined with longitudinal MRI markers of vascular pathology to give key information about neurovascular ageing at age 82, and to identify the preceding brain hallmarks, determinants and consequences using multivariate latent growth curve models.
This 4th brain MRI will be undertaken on the same GE 1.5T clinical scanner as in previous waves. We will derive measures of brain atrophy, cortical thickness, surface area, volume, and perivascular, subcortical and white matter hyperintensity volume, and diffusion parameters (including peak width of skeletonized MD) for a range of major white matter tracts from the structural, diffusion tensor (DT), magnetization transfer (MT) and quantitative T1-mapping sequences. We also aim to conduct a 1.5T-3T scanner comparison on a subsample to allow backwards-comparable 3T scanning in future waves.
This 4th brain MRI will be undertaken on the same GE 1.5T clinical scanner as in previous waves. We will derive measures of brain atrophy, cortical thickness, surface area, volume, and perivascular, subcortical and white matter hyperintensity volume, and diffusion parameters (including peak width of skeletonized MD) for a range of major white matter tracts from the structural, diffusion tensor (DT), magnetization transfer (MT) and quantitative T1-mapping sequences. We also aim to conduct a 1.5T-3T scanner comparison on a subsample to allow backwards-comparable 3T scanning in future waves.
Planned Impact
Key beneficiaries from this project will be older people and older people's groups, carers, health and social care practitioners and policymakers, academics and the wider public. A knowledge exchange (KE) strategy is already in place and has an excellent track record of engagement with these diverse groups. CCACE has a dedicated KE Officer (funded by the University of Edinburgh) and one of her main foci is the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. This is an unusual resource and ensures regular and effective public engagement and KE activity. We have also co-developed a formal Joint Impact Plan with our primary funders, Age UK. This is a detailed framework for current and future KE activities which reflects our mutual ambitions to realise the potential for impact beyond academia throughout the lifetime of the project period. We are committed to maintaining our successful KE strategy to improve understanding of cognitive and brain ageing and identifying which potentially preventable factors affect brain health and cognitive function.
For older people, carers and public health providers, our research has the potential to lead to interventions to prevent or ameliorate age-related cognitive decline and provides clinical benefits through the development of methods for more accurate diagnosis of dementia. For third sector organisations, our research will provide benefits in terms of advice and support they can offer to older people who are concerned about cognitive ageing and brain health. It is hoped that our findings will ultimately contribute to future healthcare policy, which will ideally serve to prolong the amount of time in old age during which individuals remain cognitively healthy and independent.
We will continue to proactively engage directly with policy makers at a national and local government level and indirectly through our 3rd sector close partners such as Age UK, Age Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland and public sector organisations such as NHS Health Scotland and Edinburgh City Council. Age UK's direct engagement with older people is critical to successful exchange of Disconnected Mind-generated knowledge with the public. This is particularly pertinent for medium and short-term impact. Research findings so far signal that in the future, people will be able to take informed decisions to influence their own brain and cognitive health and that there are significant messages for public health (e.g. physical fitness and brain white matter integrity, smoking and the thickness of the brain's cortex). Lifestyle factors, controllable physical factors and social factors are most likely to be the focus of Age UK's KE activity. Regular contact between Age UK and the research team allows Age UK to disseminate new findings to the wider Age UK family through audience-appropriate Insight and Evidence briefings. These, in turn, allow various parts of Age UK to use this knowledge for the benefit of older people in the form of services, products and influencing activities. These include publications such as overview articles for the general public and for policy makers and through co-produced key stakeholder workshops which aim to raise awareness of brain and cognitive ageing and their determinants.
As well as our joint work with charities, we will continue to engage with policy makers through Cross-party Groups, committees, policy-focussed meetings, networking events and consultations. We will also seek to engage policy makers through our programme of stakeholder workshops. We will continue to engage with schools, families and the media using presentations, workshops, museums, science festivals, our presence on policy committees, art collaborations (previous examples include theatre, portraits, short films and a CCACE-published book of short stories) and via our established online following. CCACE has been particularly successful in engaging individuals and groups through integrated online content.
For older people, carers and public health providers, our research has the potential to lead to interventions to prevent or ameliorate age-related cognitive decline and provides clinical benefits through the development of methods for more accurate diagnosis of dementia. For third sector organisations, our research will provide benefits in terms of advice and support they can offer to older people who are concerned about cognitive ageing and brain health. It is hoped that our findings will ultimately contribute to future healthcare policy, which will ideally serve to prolong the amount of time in old age during which individuals remain cognitively healthy and independent.
We will continue to proactively engage directly with policy makers at a national and local government level and indirectly through our 3rd sector close partners such as Age UK, Age Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland and public sector organisations such as NHS Health Scotland and Edinburgh City Council. Age UK's direct engagement with older people is critical to successful exchange of Disconnected Mind-generated knowledge with the public. This is particularly pertinent for medium and short-term impact. Research findings so far signal that in the future, people will be able to take informed decisions to influence their own brain and cognitive health and that there are significant messages for public health (e.g. physical fitness and brain white matter integrity, smoking and the thickness of the brain's cortex). Lifestyle factors, controllable physical factors and social factors are most likely to be the focus of Age UK's KE activity. Regular contact between Age UK and the research team allows Age UK to disseminate new findings to the wider Age UK family through audience-appropriate Insight and Evidence briefings. These, in turn, allow various parts of Age UK to use this knowledge for the benefit of older people in the form of services, products and influencing activities. These include publications such as overview articles for the general public and for policy makers and through co-produced key stakeholder workshops which aim to raise awareness of brain and cognitive ageing and their determinants.
As well as our joint work with charities, we will continue to engage with policy makers through Cross-party Groups, committees, policy-focussed meetings, networking events and consultations. We will also seek to engage policy makers through our programme of stakeholder workshops. We will continue to engage with schools, families and the media using presentations, workshops, museums, science festivals, our presence on policy committees, art collaborations (previous examples include theatre, portraits, short films and a CCACE-published book of short stories) and via our established online following. CCACE has been particularly successful in engaging individuals and groups through integrated online content.
Publications
Stevenson AJ
(2022)
A comparison of blood and brain-derived ageing and inflammation-related DNA methylation signatures and their association with microglial burdens.
in The European journal of neuroscience
De La Fuente J
(2021)
A general dimension of genetic sharing across diverse cognitive traits inferred from molecular data.
in Nature human behaviour
Humphreys CA
(2019)
A protocol for precise comparisons of small vessel disease lesions between ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging and histopathology.
in International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society
Corley J
(2022)
Adherence to the MIND diet is associated with 12-year all-cause mortality in older adults.
in Public health nutrition
Beaudet G
(2020)
Age-Related Changes of Peak Width Skeletonized Mean Diffusivity (PSMD) Across the Adult Lifespan: A Multi-Cohort Study.
in Frontiers in psychiatry
Madole JW
(2021)
Aging-Sensitive Networks Within the Human Structural Connectome Are Implicated in Late-Life Cognitive Declines.
in Biological psychiatry
Dafflon J
(2020)
An automated machine learning approach to predict brain age from cortical anatomical measures.
in Human brain mapping
Hillary RF
(2021)
An epigenetic predictor of death captures multi-modal measures of brain health.
in Molecular psychiatry
Mur J
(2023)
Anticholinergic burden in middle and older age is associated with lower cognitive function, but not with brain atrophy
in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Clancy U
(2023)
Are neuropsychiatric symptoms a marker of small vessel disease progression in older adults? Evidence from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.
in International journal of geriatric psychiatry
Bernal J
(2022)
Assessment of perivascular space filtering methods using a three-dimensional computational model.
in Magnetic resonance imaging
Lyall DM
(2020)
Association between APOE e4 and white matter hyperintensity volume, but not total brain volume or white matter integrity.
in Brain imaging and behavior
Alhusaini S
(2018)
Association between carotid atheroma and cerebral cortex structure at age 73 years.
in Annals of neurology
Knol M
(2020)
Association of common genetic variants with brain microbleeds A genome-wide association study
in Neurology
Barbu MC
(2019)
Association of Whole-Genome and NETRIN1 Signaling Pathway-Derived Polygenic Risk Scores for Major Depressive Disorder and White Matter Microstructure in the UK Biobank.
in Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging
Bøstrand SMK
(2022)
Associations between alcohol use and accelerated biological ageing.
in Addiction biology
Okely JA
(2020)
Associations Between Declining Physical and Cognitive Functions in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.
in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
Hamilton O
(2021)
Associations between total MRI-visible small vessel disease burden and domain-specific cognitive abilities in a community-dwelling older-age cohort.
in Neurobiology of aging
Cox SR
(2019)
Associations between vascular risk factors and brain MRI indices in UK Biobank.
in European heart journal
Wheater E
(2021)
Birth weight is associated with brain tissue volumes seven decades later but not with MRI markers of brain ageing.
in NeuroImage. Clinical
McCartney D
(2021)
Blood-based epigenome-wide analyses of cognitive abilities
McCartney DL
(2022)
Blood-based epigenome-wide analyses of cognitive abilities.
in Genome biology
Cox S
(2022)
Brain and cognitive ageing: The present, and some predictions (about the future)
in Aging Brain
Cox SR
(2018)
Brain cortical characteristics of lifetime cognitive ageing.
in Brain structure & function
Deary IJ
(2019)
Brain Peak Width of Skeletonized Mean Diffusivity (PSMD) and Cognitive Function in Later Life.
in Frontiers in psychiatry
Ritchie SJ
(2018)
Brain structural differences between 73- and 92-year olds matched for childhood intelligence, social background, and intracranial volume.
in Neurobiology of aging
Hamilton OKL
(2021)
Cerebral small vessel disease burden and longitudinal cognitive decline from age 73 to 82: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.
in Translational psychiatry
Sargurupremraj M
(2020)
Cerebral small vessel disease genomics and its implications across the lifespan.
in Nature communications
Sliz E
(2022)
Circulating Metabolome and White Matter Hyperintensities in Women and Men.
in Circulation
Conte FP
(2022)
Cognitive Change Before Old Age (11 to 70) Predicts Cognitive Change During Old Age (70 to 82).
in Psychological science
De Nooij L
(2020)
Cognitive functioning and lifetime major depressive disorder in UK Biobank.
in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists
Hamilton OKL
(2021)
Cognitive impairment in sporadic cerebral small vessel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
in Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
Armstrong NJ
(2020)
Common Genetic Variation Indicates Separate Causes for Periventricular and Deep White Matter Hyperintensities.
in Stroke
Buchanan CR
(2021)
Comparison of structural MRI brain measures between 1.5 and 3 T: Data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.
in Human brain mapping
Jochems ACC
(2022)
Contribution of white matter hyperintensities to ventricular enlargement in older adults.
in NeuroImage. Clinical
Parker N
(2020)
Corticosteroids and Regional Variations in Thickness of the Human Cerebral Cortex across the Lifespan.
in Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
Anblagan D
(2018)
Coupled changes in hippocampal structure and cognitive ability in later life.
in Brain and behavior
Corley J
(2020)
Dietary patterns, cognitive function, and structural neuroimaging measures of brain aging.
in Experimental gerontology
Wheater E
(2021)
DNA methylation and brain dysmaturation in preterm infants
Conole E
(2021)
DNA Methylation and Protein Markers of Chronic Inflammation and Their Associations With Brain and Cognitive Aging
in Neurology
| Title | Augmented Reality Brain prototype |
| Description | A prototype Augmented Reality Brain visualisation, that allows the user to interact with holographic projections of the brain in real space (using the Microsoft hololens). The brain information displayed is based on published scientific results and real brain imaging data. Holograms and explanatory audioguide leads users through aspects of brain neuroanatomy, the patterns and extent of age-related atrophy/cortical thinning, and associations between malleable lifestyle factors (vascular risk factors) and regional cortical brain volumes. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | Augmented Reality Brain shown for BBC Music Day, St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh, 26th September 2019. Augmented Reality Brain shown at an Age UK Donor Event, Apothecaries' Hall, London, 12th September 2019. Augmented Reality Brain shown at the Lothian Birth Cohort Reunion Event, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, 7th September 2019. Augmented Reality Brain (in development) exhibited to Jeane Freeman MSP, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and MRC representatives, as part of a visit to University of Edinburgh Division of Psychiatry, 9th July 2019. |
| URL | https://twitter.com/EdinUniMentalH/status/1217870172054347776 |
| Description | Citation (Cox) and Expert / Issue Specialist (Wardlaw) in GCBH review and recommendations of cardiovascular risks to brain health. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/health/brain_health/2020/02/gcbh-heart-health-report-english.d... |
| Description | Citation in a report by the AARP's Global Council on Brain Health |
| Geographic Reach | North America |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/health/brain_health/2020/02/gcbh-heart-health-report-english.d... |
| Description | Augmented Reality Brain. Medical Research Council Public Engagement in Science Activities Seed Fund |
| Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2019 |
| End | 07/2019 |
| Description | Factors of biological ageing: does it all go together when it goes? |
| Amount | £886,561 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 221890/Z/20/Z |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2021 |
| End | 04/2026 |
| Description | Large-Scale Genomic Analysis of Aging-Related Cognitive Change Prior to Dementia Onset |
| Amount | $3,469,902 (USD) |
| Funding ID | 1RF1AG073593 |
| Organisation | National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 07/2026 |
| Description | Lifecourse of place: how environments throughout life can support healthy ageing |
| Amount | £287,833 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2020 |
| End | 05/2022 |
| Description | Lothian Birth Cohorts: Longitudinal brain imaging at age 85 |
| Amount | £41,666 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Department | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | MRC Festival Schools Activity. MRC Festival Open Award |
| Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | G29464 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2020 |
| End | 02/2021 |
| Description | The Disconnected Mind: Phase 4 |
| Amount | £1,058,650 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Age UK |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2019 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | The Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 Waves 6 and 7 |
| Amount | £1,620,567 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/W008793/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 08/2025 |
| Description | Translational Neuroscience program - Eleanor Conole |
| Amount | £119,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Description | Translational Neuroscience program - Jure Mur |
| Amount | £119,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Description | Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF3) - Lothian Birth Cohorts: Longitudinal brain iamging at age 85. |
| Amount | £41,667 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IS3-R1.03 19/20 |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Department | ISSF |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Title | Brain Images of Normal Subjects (BRAINS) Imagebank |
| Description | The Brain Images of Normal Subjects (BRAINS) imagebank is an integrated repository project sponsored by the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Imaging Network: A Platform for Scientific Excellence (SINAPSE) collaborators. The purpose of BRAINS is to provide sharing and archiving of detailed normal human brain imaging and relevant phenotypic data, to create better estimates of the range of normal brain size and integrity across the life-course. The Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 and 1936 brain imaging data along with limited clinical data has been added to this resource. BRAINS is a living imagebank where new data will be added when available. Initially BRAINS will contain existing data from n=763 healthy volunteer subjects, range neonatal and 19-81 years of age, from projects in 3 centres. A further n=2119 subjects aged from prenatal to 90 years old with existing records from 15 other projects in Scotland are currently being collected, collated and quality control (QC) checked. Additional completed and ongoing studies of normal individuals will be uploaded as they become available. The data include several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences, including T1, T2, T2*, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), in DICOM and NIfTI format, and a wide range of linked metadata, such as age, history, physiological measures (e.g. blood pressure), cognitive ability, and perinatal information (neonatal data). Data access is governed by a steering committee comprising the PIs of the contributing studies, experts in ethics, law and governance, and lay representatives. Applications for data access can be made online, and will be granted by the steering committee subject to the completion of a formal Data Access Agreement. http://www.brainsimagebank.ac.uk/ |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The initial publication which describes the resource was: "A brain imaging repository of normal structural MRI across the life course: Brain Images of Normal Subjects (BRAINS)" Dominic E Job, David A Dickie, David Rodriguez, Andrew Robson, Cyril Pernet, Mark Bastin, James P Boardman, Alison D Murray, Trevor Ahearn, Gordon D Waiter, Roger T Staff, Ian J Deary, Susan D Shenkin, Joanna M Wardlaw. NeuroImage. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.01.027 PMID: 26794641. We have developed seven age-specific atlases of T1 brain MRI from 25 to 92 years, which have been made available on the BRAINS website. Dickie, David Alexander; Job, Dominic E.; Rodriguez, David; Robson, Andrew; Danso, Samuel; Pernet, Cyril; Bastin, Mark E.; Deary, Ian J.; Shenkin, Susan D.; Wardlaw, Joanna M.. (2016). Brain Imaging of Normal Subjects (BRAINS) age-specific MRI atlases from young adults to the very elderly (v1.0), [dataset]. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Imaging, CCBS, BRAINS Imagebank. http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/ds/1369. |
| URL | http://www.brainsimagebank.ac.uk |
| Description | Normative Brain Image Bank - Ian Deary/ Joanna Wardlaw |
| Organisation | University of Aberdeen |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Normative Brain Image Bank: with Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee in creation of a normative brain image bank across the life course but specifically for older ages; including external collaboration with UCSF, California (Toga), Montreal Neurological Institute (Evans), Paris (Poline) -JM Wardlaw, M Bastin, I Deary). |
| Collaborator Contribution | The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project.The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project.The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project. |
| Impact | The project is ongoing with the plan that it will create a bank of brain images. Grant application submitted. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Normative Brain Image Bank - Ian Deary/ Joanna Wardlaw |
| Organisation | University of Dundee |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Normative Brain Image Bank: with Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee in creation of a normative brain image bank across the life course but specifically for older ages; including external collaboration with UCSF, California (Toga), Montreal Neurological Institute (Evans), Paris (Poline) -JM Wardlaw, M Bastin, I Deary). |
| Collaborator Contribution | The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project.The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project.The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project. |
| Impact | The project is ongoing with the plan that it will create a bank of brain images. Grant application submitted. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Normative Brain Image Bank - Ian Deary/ Joanna Wardlaw |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Normative Brain Image Bank: with Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee in creation of a normative brain image bank across the life course but specifically for older ages; including external collaboration with UCSF, California (Toga), Montreal Neurological Institute (Evans), Paris (Poline) -JM Wardlaw, M Bastin, I Deary). |
| Collaborator Contribution | The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project.The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project.The groups have all brought data and expertise to the project. |
| Impact | The project is ongoing with the plan that it will create a bank of brain images. Grant application submitted. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | "Brain and Cognitive Ageing". Oxford Autumn School in Neuroscience. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited lecture to academics, postgrads and undergrads as part of the annual Oxford Autumn School in Neuroscience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxford-autumn-school-in-neuroscience-26th-27th-september-2019-tickets... |
| Description | BBC Scotland documentary: Who lives in Scotland? Episode 2: Health, Wealth and Happiness |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviews about research group and findings for BBC Scotland documentary Who lives in Scotland? episode on health, wealth and happiness. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dlbt/episodes/player |
| Description | Brain Imaging Update. Lothian Birth Cohort Reunion Event. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of findings to participants, funders and collaborators of the Lothian Birth Cohorts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.lothianbirthcohort.ed.ac.uk/news-archive |
| Description | CCACE celebrates Scottish research cohorts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Event held at Edinburgh's General Assembly Hall, June 2018. Hundreds of participants and researchers from Scottish cohort studies came together to celebrate their contribution to, and crucial role in, healthcare research. The day's programme covered research across the entire human lifespan, beginning with a presentation by Professor James Boardman on effects of premature birth, and ending with a talk from Professor David Batty on regional disparities in mortality. The event also offered a unique opportunity to survey the opinion of current Scottish cohort participants on future uses and sharing of their data. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJBbqOq4qa8 |
| Description | Exhibition at Beautiful Brain Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In person pre-conference display about history of the research group and research findings with 410 registered participants, with questions from attendees and request for further information and engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://edinburghbioquarter.com/eicc-live-beautiful-brain/ |
| Description | Exhibition at Beautiful Brain Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In person pre-conference display about history of the research group and research findings with 410 registered participants, with questions from attendees and request for further information and engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Interview for national newspaper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview for article about the research group raising awareness of cognitive and brain ageing for The Sunday Post |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Interview for national newspaper (BBC Future article) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview for BBC Future article Why human brains were bigger 3,000 years ago? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220503-why-human-brains-were-bigger-3000-years-ago |
| Description | Online workshop for primary school children (Psychology Taster Session, Edinburgh) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 50 primary school children (Edinburgh) participated in an online workshop (Psychology Taster Session for Primary 7 groups), with questions and discussion afterwards and reported increased interest in psychology and study at the University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Online workshop for primary school children (Psychology Taster Session, Edinburgh) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 50 primary school children (Edinburgh) participated in an online workshop (Psychology Taster Session for Primary 7 groups), with questions and discussion afterwards and reported increased interest in psychology and study at the University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Participation in a BBC Horizon episode on intelligence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A special BBC Two Horizon episode on Intelligence, featuring Lothian Birth Cohorts, researchers and findings on brain and cognitive ageing. The programme was first broadcast on Monday 4th May at 21:00. It was viewed by 1.7m people, representing an 8.6% share of the audience who were watching television on the evening it was broadcast. It received positive reviews from national press. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hy39 |
| Description | Prof Joanna Wardlaw Keynote Talk "CADASIL and sporadic small vessel disease: similarities and symptoms, brain imaging and relevance to patient care", The Brain Prize Meeting, 25-27 November 2019, Copenhagen (Denmark) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Joanna Wardlaw keynote talk 'CADASIL and sporadic small vessel disease: similarities and symptoms, brain imaging and relevance to patient care' The Brain Prize Meeting "Silently Loosing the Brain", 25-27 November 2019: Kenote lecture, 26th November 2019, Copenhagen (Denmark) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Prof Joanna Wardlaw Talk "Clinical Research on Small Vessel Disease" Tiantan International Symposium on Cerebral Small Vessel Disease (China) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Joanna Wardlaw talk 'Clinical Research on Small Vessel Disease' Keynote, Tiantan International Symposium on Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Keynote, Beijing, 2 March 2019 Tiantan SVD conference to celebrate opening of the Tiantan Hospital SVDs Research and Clinical Service Unit. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Prof Joanna Wardlaw keynote talk "Imaging in Dementia", RCPsychiS Old Age Autumn Meeting 2019, 22nd November 2019, Edinburgh (UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Joanna Wardlaw keynote talk "Imaging in Dementia", RCPsychiS Old Age Autumn Meeting 2019, 22nd November 2019, Hilton Carlton Edinburgh, Edinburgh (UK) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Prof Joanna Wardlaw participation in discussion 'Micro to Macroscopic in vivo imaging as a macroscope to determine pathophysiologies of complex human diseases', The Royal Society London, UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Prof Joanna Wardlaw talk 'Micro to Macroscopic in vivo imaging as a macroscope to determine pathophysiologies of complex human diseases' Dynamic in-situ microscopy relating structure and function. Discussion Meeting The Royal Society London, 21-22 October 2019, |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Prof Joanna Wardlaw talk "Imaging Stroke Annual Lecture", Lund, Sweden. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof Joanna Wardlaw talk "Imaging Stroke Annual Lecture", at the StrokeSyd 2nd Annual Meeting, 20th May 2019, Lund, Sweden. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | School talk about neuroscience |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | 27 children at Whitehill Junior Primary school (Herfordshite) attended 'Meet the scientist' workshop to learn about neuroscience, which sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | School talk about neuroscience |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | 27 children at Whitehill Junior Primary school (Herfordshite) attended 'Meet the scientist' workshop to learn about neuroscience, which sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | School workshop (Being Human Festival, Broughton Highschool, Edinburgh) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Workshop with presentation and hands-on activities on cognitive and brain ageing for 48 high school pupils, with questions and discussion afterwards and the school reported increased interest in related subject and requested a follow up event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | School workshop (Being Human Festival, Broughton Highschool, Edinburgh) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Workshop with presentation and hands-on activities on cognitive and brain ageing for 48 high school pupils, with questions and discussion afterwards and the school reported interest in related subject. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Staying sharp in later life; your expert guide to ageing well |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'Staying sharp in later life' is a plain-language guide developed by Age UK in collaboration with researchers at CCACE . It provides accessible summaries of the latest research on a range of subjects from exercise and brain training, to diet, smoking and alcohol. There is a print and online version of the guide. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2018 |
| URL | https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/mind-body/staying-sharp/ |
| Description | The Scottish Mental Surveys and the Lothian Birth Cohorts - Judy Okely |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on factors related to healthy cognitive ageing to around 15 members of the Edinburgh Electrical Engineering Society, October 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |