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The Incidence of Cognitive Impairment in Cohorts with Longitudinal Evaluation-PD (ICICLE-PD)

Funder: Parkinson’s UK

Chief Investigator: Professor David Burn

BAM Principal Investigators: Professor Lynn Rochester, Prof Alison Yarnall

Contact: Dr Rachael Lawson

Background & Aims

The ICICLE-PD study is a study run jointly between the University of Newcastle and the University of Cambridge.

An infographic of a smooth ball of wool in the place of a brain which then connects to a different graphic of an entangled brain. Above these two heads is a set of cogs. This image indicates the studying of the mechanisms in the transition to PD 
The study aims to better understand the anatomical, biochemical and genotypic mechanisms determining the transition from Parkinson’s disease (PD) to dementia associated with PD (PDD).

Methods

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An infographic displaying a health cross with a heart on it, an MRI scanner, a syringe from a lumbar puncture, a blood droplet with A,B,O and AB next to it and a brain where half of it has been replaced by cogs 
Participants performed clinical and cognitive tests at each appointment, and blood samples were collected. A subset of participants also had MRI brain scans, FDG-PET scans and lumbar punctures done as part of this study.
We recruited 212 participants with PD and 99 age-matched control volunteers and invited participants to return at 18-month intervals.

Outcomes

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A graphic of a magnifying glass looking at a head where the brain has been replaced by tangled wool or yarn 
We have published over 80 research papers from this cohort, have collaborated with colleagues nationally and internationally, and work is currently underway to continue to analyse this rich and complex data for the benefit of future clinical trials.
In doing so, we will determine clinical features associated with a high risk of incident dementia and establish putative biomarkers predictive of dementia.