Table 1 Schedule of assessments at baseline (0 months) and 24 months
Assessments | Brief description | Time-point (months) | |
|---|---|---|---|
0 | 24 | ||
Pre-study screening questionnaire (to determine study eligibility) | Study eligibility criteria | âś“ | |
MRI safety check questionnaire | MRI eligibility | âś“ | âś“ |
Demographic and medical history questionnaire | Questionnaire completed with the study investigator | âś“ | âś“ |
Weight, height, waist and hip measurement | Clinical assessment | âś“ | âś“ |
Transthoracic echocardiogram | Assess cardiac structure and function | âś“ | âś“ |
Blood sample | Plasma electrolytes, glucose, HbA1C, lipids and urinary analyses. Blood collected for APOE genotyping and assessment of other genetic and circulating biomarkers. | âś“ | âś“ |
Carotid intimal medial thickness | B-mode ultrasound to assess left and right internal carotid arteries and the degree of stenosis | âś“ | âś“ |
24 h ambulatory blood pressure and ECG Holter | Simultaneous measurement of blood pressure and ECG | âś“ | âś“ |
MRI scanning on a Siemens 3 T Skyra scanner using a 64 Channel receive only head coil. | • High resolution isotropic T1 3D MPRAGE (structural scan) | ✓ | ✓ |
• High resolution isotropic T2 FLAIR 3D | |||
• High resolution isotropic T2 3D | |||
• Susceptibility-weighted image (SWI) for iron deposition | |||
• Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) | |||
• GRE field mapping | |||
• BOLD 7 min free run (resting state connectivity) | |||
Cognitive and mood evaluation | Validated tools for assessing mood, global cognitive ability, attention, visuospatial ability, executive function, language, memory, processing speed | âś“ | âś“ |
Physical activity assessment | SenseWear Armband (BodyMedia FIT) | âś“ | âś“ |