Dementia (Diagnosis)

The purpose of this study is to see if an educational interactive booklet about how dementia progresses throughout a person's life can be a helpful tool for patients to think about future decisions that might need to be made regarding their medical care and helping patients discuss their diagnosis and possible future medical decisions with their family or future caregivers.

The goal of this observational study is to learn if an artificial intelligence (AI)-based speech analysis tool can identify which patients with memory problems need specialist evaluation at a memory clinic. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can the AI model accurately distinguish between patients who need referral to a memory clinic (those with dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment) and patients who don't (those with normal cognition or memory problems from other causes like depression)? Which speech patterns and cognitive test features are most useful for making this distinction? Researchers will compare speech recordings and cognitive test results from patients diagnosed with dementia or MCI to those from patients with normal cognition or non-neurodegenerative cognitive impairment to see if the AI model can reliably predict who needs specialist dementia care. Participants will: Complete standard cognitive tests at the memory clinic Perform structured speech tasks while being audio-recorded Receive their usual clinical evaluation and diagnosis from memory clinic specialists The results of this study will help develop a tool that can assist doctors in making faster, more accurate decisions about which patients need specialist dementia evaluation, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and better patient outcomes.

Gut problems, such as constipation, can have an important impact on quality of life of people who have them, and have been associated with higher risk of developing neurological diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies suggest that gut problems may also have implications for the progression of these diseases, as constipation is a risk factor for faster Parkinson's and Alzheimer's progression. However, how constipation and brain diseases are linked is unknown. Previous research has suggested that gut changes may lead to inflammation, which could play a role in accelerating the progression of both movement and memory problems in Parkinson's and memory and thinking problems in people with cognitive impairment. Methane is a gas that is naturally produced by microorganisms in the gut. Levels of methane can be measured using a simple breath test. Higher methane levels in the breath are thought to be more common in people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) when compared to people without Parkinson's (healthy controls) and have been associated with gut symptoms, particularly constipation, as well as worse movement problems in PwP, although they are less understood in conditions that affect memory and thinking (like dementia or mild cognitive impairment). The investigators want to better understand the changes in the gut of PwP and people with cognitive impairment (e.g. mild cognitive impairment or dementia). They will compare breath methane levels in PwP, people with cognitive impairment, people with REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (a sleep condition linked to a higher risk of developing Parkinson's) and healthy participants. Participants will be followed-up over time to assess how methane levels are linked to changes in the blood and the stools, gut function, and clinical symptoms. This study has 2 components: Component 1: observational study, where the study investigators will follow 200 participants over 2 visits, 18 months apart. The study will recruit 4 groups of people: 50 people with Parkinson's disease, 50 people at high risk of developing Parkinson's disease (people with REM Sleep behaviour disorder), 50 people with other conditions affecting cognition (e.g. dementia, mild cognitive impairment), and 50 healthy controls. Component 2: study with 15 people with Parkinson's, who produce high methane levels, to test whether a probiotic (Lactobacillus reuteri) affects how much methane is produced.

The goal of this single arm interventional, pre-post study is to learn about the feasibility and impact of group music therapy sessions for people living with dementia in two different community settings. This research will answer the following questions: 1. What is the impact of the music therapy groups upon attendees (people with dementia and informal carers) and does this differ between the two settings? 2. What is the impact of the music therapy groups upon staff and culture in the settings (day centre and memory hub staff)? 3. Is it feasible to conduct the study in these two settings? (recruitment, retention, attendance, delivery, data collection) 4. What are the barriers and facilitators to implementation in each setting? Participants will attend at weekly a music therapy group for a period of 10 weeks, either at the Merton Memory Hub run by Alzheimer's Society or at Eastways Day Centre run by Merton Council (Adult Social Care). These sessions will be led by a fully qualified, HCPC registered music therapist with experience working with people living with dementia. The music programme will be designed to promote engagement, social connection, enjoyment and personal identity with the overall aim to support quality of life, emotional regulation and the relationship quality between the person living with dementia and their carer. Data collection will involve mixed methods, such as quantitative validated questionnaires about wellbeing, loneliness, relationship quality between the carer and patient. These will be asked to both the person living with dementia and the carer. The music therapist will also conduct an observational Music in Dementia Assessment Scale on the behaviour of the participants living with dementia during the music therapy sessions. Qualitative data will be a semi-structured interview of about 20-30 mins to discuss with the participants, staff included, about their experiences once the programme is finished.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of community-based early detection and targeted interventions, including stem cell therapy and wearable non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) devices, for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in adults aged 55 years and older residing in U.S. urban and suburban communities. Primary objectives include assessing improvements in MCI detection rates, cognitive outcomes, and progression delay compared to standard care.

This study aims to determine whether loneliness is associated with a higher incidence of dementia in older adults with a prior diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment after 12 months of follow-up.

Dementia is observed in 80% of people living with advanced stage Parkinson's disease, however, there are inadequate opportunities for early and effective diagnosis of dementia in current clinical practice. This study aims to identify whether a new tool called PDCogniCare, can improve detection of dementia in people living with Parkinson's disease, and to explore what factors might influence its use in healthcare services.