Cerebrovascular Correlates of Dementia in Rural Communities - The Three Villages Study

Universidad de Especialidades Espiritu Santo600 enrolled

Overview

This study aims to assess the prevalence and severity of dementia in an established cohort of community-dwelling older adults living in three neighboring rural Ecuadorian villages (Atahualpa, El Tambo, and Prosperidad), as well as to evaluate clinical and neuroimaging correlates of dementia in the study population. By the use of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDRS), the study also aims to assess the lower cutoff of the MoCA that better correlates with the occurrence of dementia in the study population. In addition, this study will provides grounds for the initiation of a prospective cohort study to assess factors influencing the development of dementia in the follow-up.

The Three Villages Study is a population-based prospective cohort study designed to reduce the increasing burden of cognitive decline and dementia in rural Ecuador. Before the study, our Executive Committee met with community leaders to explain the aims of the study and to learn about the culture and traditions of villagers. Field personnel were trained to assure uniformity in data collection. With the aid of satellite view (Google Earth, Google Inc., Mountain View, CA), updated sketches of the villages were performed to identify blocks and houses. The study initially will follow a 3-Phase cross-sectional design. During Phase I, Atahualpa, El Tambo, and Prosperidad residents aged 60 years or more will be identified by means of a door-to-door survey and interviewed with validated questionnaires to identify those with relevant risk factors and suspected conditions of interest. In Phase II, certified neurologists will examine suspected cases as well as random samples of negative individuals, to assess reliability of field instruments and to determine prevalence of the investigated conditions. In Phase III, enrolled individuals will be invited to undergo complementary tests. Thereafter, incoming residents will be recruited and followed-up by means of yearly door-to-door surveys and other overlapping sources to estimate incidence of the disorders of interest.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

600

Conditions

Dementia

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

To assess the prevalence and severity of dementia in the study population

The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale will be applied to all participants

Time frame: One year

To assess cerebrovascular correlates of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in the study population

Neuroimaging studies, ultrasound examination of extracranial carotid arteries, and ankle-brachial index determinations will be used to assess the presence of large vessel aterosclerosis and cerebral small vessel disease in the study population

Time frame: One year

To assess cognitive decline in the follow-up

Enrolled individuals will be prospectively followed every year for up to five years, and will be re-assessed to determine the progression of cognitive impairment and its relationship with markers of aterosclerosis and cerebral small vessel disease

Time frame: five years

Secondary Outcomes

To assess cutoffs of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment useful to differentiate normal cognitivion from mild cognitive impairment, and mild cognitive impairment to dementia in the study population

The MoCA was mainly designed to separate normal individuals to those with MCI. However, a major limitation of the MoCA is its lack of accuracy for identifying persons with dementia. Therefore, the use of more complex field instruments (yet, feasible to apply in individuals living in rural settings) is needed to determine the burden of dementia and its cerebrovascular correlates in rural communities. In this regard, the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDRS) is a useful tool to assess people living in these settings for establishing the burden and severity of dementia as well as to further assess clinical and neuroimaging correlates of this condition.