Gait for patients with dementia.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The biomechanical assessment of balance and gait for dementia patients and the implications in the diagnosis and rehabilitation.
IRAS ID
334611
Contact name
Weijie Wang
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Dundee
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
ISRCTN, There is not an ISRCTN number here. Because there is no available funding due to student project.
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 18 days
Research summary
Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that encompasses various types, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia, etc. With the aging population, the prevalence of dementia is on the rise, especially among individuals aged 65 and above. And it affects memory, behaviour, and ability to understand, such as memory deficits and cognitive decline. It has become one of the leading causes of death and disability in the elderly population and has been identified as a major global health problem in the 21st century. AD accounts for 70% of dementia cases and has a preclinical period of 10-20 years. Clinical research has recognised changes in the motor system in many participants with early dementia. The balance and gait patterns of people with dementia, and healthy people are quite different. The diagnostic methods for dementia typically involve clinical assessments, cognitive tests, neuroimaging, and biomarker analysis. This includes medical history, cognitive tests, brain MRI or PET scans, and detecting biomarkers like β-amyloid. The final diagnosis requires a comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors. But the early diagnosis of dementia remains difficult, and little research has been conducted to investigate the direct diagnosis of dementia patients using motion analysis. This research project intends to investigate whether dementia patients and healthy people have different balance and gait, and which biomechanical parameters could be used to assess the dementia. Also, it can involve designing and developing a useful method or tool for diagnosing early-stage dementia patients.
There will be two groups of participants for the research: A) participants diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia within the past two years; B) the healthy elderly group. Participants in both groups should be aged 18 and over. Participants in Group A will be recruited from the Old Age Psychiatry departments in the Tayside region of the Scottish National Health Service (Dundee, Angus, Perth, and Kinross). Clinical supervisor Dr. Nicholas will email the Old Age Psychiatry consultants and the three Post-Dementia Service (PDS) teams to assist in identifying potential participants in their clinics. The recruitment will proceed through two pathways: 1) Dr. Nicholas will identify potential participants during her clinic and provide them with PIS and reply slip. 2) After Caldicott approval, the PDS teams will review the medical records of patients diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia within the past two years. The PDS teams will send invitation letters, PIS, and reply slips to these patients. If patients are interested in participating, they will complete the reply slip. This enables the research team to contact them, discuss the study in detail, and arrange a study visit. Upon receiving the reply slip, Dr. Nicholas, after obtaining Caldicott approval, will review the medical records of the interested patients to confirm their eligibility. Once eligibility is confirmed, the research team will contact them, answer any questions they may have, and schedule a study visit at suitable times. During the study visit, the potential patients will watch a video and review the PIS again. They will have the opportunity to ask questions to the research team. After confirming there are no further questions, the potential patients will sign the informed consent form. For all potential participants willing to join the study, Dr. Nicholas will confirm their eligibility by reviewing their medical records, with Caldicott approval. Participants in Group B will be recruited through various channels, including volunteer recruitment posters displayed at the University of Dundee and Ninewells Hospital. Any interested individuals will contact the research team via phone or email to discuss the study. After the interested individuals contact the research team, Dr Nicholas, with the Caldicott’s approval, will review and scan the Clinical Portal to confirm whether they have had a diagnosis with dementia. If the potential participants of interest have not been diagnosed with dementia, they will be eligible to participate in the study. Participants will attend the Motion Analysis Lab in the University Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, TORT Centre, Ninewells Hospital for the data collection. In the lab, the participants will perform five basic movements used in daily life, i.e. different walking ways: 1) walking normally; 2) walking while counting a random number in a loud voice, 3) walking up and down the slight slope (15 deg), 4) walking over a road bump, and 5) sit-stand and walking will be performed.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0710
Date of REC Opinion
19 Nov 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion