Project: Harmonization and innovation of cognitive, behavioural and functional assessment in neurodegenerative dementias
The focus of the project is to organize a workforce that will elaborate guidelines on the cognitive, behavioural and functional assessment in longitudinal studies of cognitive disorders, with a special emphasis on the prodromal and early stages of dementia. Two basic needs in this area are unmet. The first is to propose harmonization procedures, allowing data comparison and data sharing across longitudinal studies, including general
population-based, targeted (pre-symptomatic) and disease-focused cohorts. This can be accomplished by establishing a core set of comparable and reliable measures, aiming at an early and specific diagnosis of neurodegenerative conditions leading to dementia,
including typical and atypical Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease and the frontotemporal spectrum. The second aim is to capitalise on the recent advances in cognitive and system neuroscience to develop innovative, disease-specific measures targeting phenotypic features, such as episodic memory, language and behaviour. The work plan is based on a first workshop, in which opinion leaders will discuss the available evidence and organize small groups (3-4 scientists each), who will work together via web based communication systems for the following 5 months, producing
consensus statements in selected areas (i.e. assessments of memory, language, behaviour, motor function; functional status assessment, computerized and web based assessment). Each group will prepare a draft of guidelines for harmonization and recommendations for innovation. Two web-based meetings during this period will monitor work progression and deal with potential bottlenecks. A final workshop will reach
a consensus and will finalise the preparation of: 1. guidelines for harmonization; 2. recommendations for innovation and further research. The document will be submitted to the JPND and after approval made available on the JPND website.
Project partner
