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An online study of healthy brain ageing

Researchers are using questionnaires and follow-up assessments to identify people who may be at higher risk of neurological disease.

Learning by observing or collecting information · Study reference: DRKS00025979

Plain-language introduction written with AI from the registry; not independently checked by a clinician. Read the original details below ↓

This registry record was last updated over six months ago, or its update date is missing. Recruitment may have changed. Confirm with the team before making plans.

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Looking for volunteers

Start (reported date)
2022-01-15

Planned dates can move. A study finishing does not tell us when a paper will be published.

No results summary has been confirmed in the registry records we imported. See connected papers below; we keep checking after recruitment ends.

Changes we have recorded
  • 2026-10-11 — recruiting

These are dates we observed a change, not necessarily the dates it happened.

Papers connected to this study

No connected paper has been found yet. The tracker checks the growing library for study identifiers and registry-linked publications.

Who can join?

Ages 50 years to 80 years · Ask the team who can join

These are starting points, not the full rules. The research team can tell you whether the study is right for your situation.

Read all the rules for taking part

Sex eligibility reported by registry: all

Inclusion criteria: Phase 1a (Online Survey): (a)registered residents of the city of Kassel and the district of Kassel (b)male or female age 50 till 80 (c)consent to study participation via WebConsent form Phase 1b (Smell Assessment) (a)participants of phase 1 with highest risk according to the screening algorithm with subjective hyposmia (n=600) or subjective normosmia (n=2000) (b)consent to be contacted by the study team for follow-up investigation via WebConsent form Phase 2 (In-Person Visits) (a)participants of phase 1a with lowest risk according to the risk assessment of the online survey (b)participants of phase 1b with pathological olfactory function test (defined as at or below the 15th percentile by age and gender determined by UPSIT®) (c)consent to be contacted by the study team for invitation to in-person investigations via WebConsent form (d)written informed consent to participate in more in-depth examinations after consultation at the beginning of the in-person visit Exclusion criteria: Phase 1a (Online Survey) (a)lack of consent Phase 1b (Smell Assessment) (a)subjects with previously diagnosed movement disorder (idiopathic or atypical PD) or diagnosed dementia (b)subjects with clinically relevant diseases of the central nervous system (multiple sclerosis, severe vascular encephalopathy, Korsakoff syndrome, etc.) (c)subjects who take medication that can cause drug-induced PD (e.g. Haloperidol, Risperdal, etc.) Phase 2 (In-Person Visits) (a)subjects with previously diagnosed movement disorder (idiopathic or atypical PD) or diagnosed dementia or high clinical suspicion of these conditions (in the opinion of the investigator) b)subjects with clinically relevant diseases of the central nervous system (multiple sclerosis, severe vascular encephalopathy, Korsakoff syndrome, etc.) or high clinical suspicion of these conditions (in the opinion of the investigator) c)subjects who take medication that can cause drug-induced PD (e.g. Haloperidol, Risperdal, etc.) d)inability to provide written informed consent
Full study name & original research details

Official study title

HEALTHY BRAIN AGEING (HeBA)- a European online project to identify subjects at risk for neurodegenerative disorders for further follow-upLocal Sub-Title: Gesund Altern!– eine populations- und internetbasierte Studie zu Früherkennungsmöglichkeiten des idiopathischen Parkinson-Syndroms und dementieller Syndrome - HeBA-Study

Short title used by the registry

HEALTHY BRAIN AGEING (HeBA)- a European online project to identify subjects at risk for neurodegenerative disorders for further follow-upLocal Sub-Title: Gesund Altern!– eine populations- und internetbasierte Studie zu Früherkennungsmöglichkeiten des idiopathischen Parkinson-Syndroms und dementieller Syndrome

Original description

Intervention: Group 1: high-risk cohort study plan: phase 1a (Online Survey): Participants fill out a specially designed questionnaire online, which determines risk factors and prodromal markers determined in previous studies. A risk score is calculated based on the questionnaires answered by adding up the relative risks or odds ratios associated with the respective answers. Participants are then allocated to their respective risk cohort according to their personal risk score. (time point: after initiation of the online survey) phase 1b (Smell Assessment): Participants will self-administer a University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT®). (time point: after risk cohort allocation) phase 2 (In-Person Visits): Prodromal markers and risk factors of the participants are verified using gold standard methods; investigations include structured interview, validated questionnaires, cognitive screening (MoCA), physical examination, sampling of blood, saliva, urine, stool, cerebra-spinal fluid, skin, nasal lavage, transcranial ultrasound, lying and standing blood pressure, cranial magnetic resonance imaging, polysomnography. (time point: after smell assessment evaluation) Group 2: low-risk cohort study plan: see high risk cohort Group 3: medium-risk cohort study plan: see high risk cohort Primary outcome: ONLINE SURVEY: The primary goal of phase 1a is the questionnaire-based characterization of the general population between the ages of 50 and 80 with regard to risk factors for prodromal PD and/or dementia. SMELL ASSESSMENT: The primary goal of phase 1b is the additional characterization of olfactory function of subjects with highest risk according to the results of phase 1a. IN-PERSON VISITS: The primary goal of phase 2 is the evaluation of the screening module of phase 1a with regard to specificity / validity, if necessary, optimization of the module. Secondary outcome: A secondary goal of phase 1a (online survey) is to identify a population-based “high” and “low” risk cohort with regard to the likelihood of developing PD and/or dementia using known algorithms (risk assessment). A secondary goal of phase 1b (smell assessment) is to identify eligible subjects for in-person visits of phase 2 according to their olfactory function. A secondary goal of phase 2 (in-person visits) is the clinical and diagnostic characterization of the population-based “high” and “low-risk cohort” as well as the establishment of a longitudinal cohort.

Conditions reported: G20 G30.9;Parkinson disease;Alzheimer disease, unspecified

Registry records for this study

Records are joined using registration identifiers. Titles alone do not establish that two studies are the same.

Study type
Observational
Interventions
Group 1: high-risk cohort study plan: phase 1a (Online Survey): Participants fill out a specially designed questionnaire online, which determines risk factors and prodromal markers determined in previous studies. A risk score is calculated based on the questionnaires answered by adding up the relative risks or odds ratios associated with the respective answers. Participants are then allocated to their respective risk cohort according to their personal risk score. (time point: after initiation of the online survey) phase 1b (Smell Assessment): Participants will self-administer a University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT®). (time point: after risk cohort allocation) phase 2 (In-Person Visits): Prodromal markers and risk factors of the participants are verified using gold standard methods; investigations include structured interview, validated questionnaires, cognitive screening (MoCA), physical examination, sampling of blood, saliva, urine, stool, cerebra-spinal fluid, skin, nasal lavage, transcranial ultrasound, lying and standing blood pressure, cranial magnetic resonance imaging, polysomnography. (time point: after smell assessment evaluation) Group 2: low-risk cohort study plan: see high risk cohort Group 3: medium-risk cohort study plan: see high risk cohort
Phases
Not reported
Sponsor
Paracelsus-Elena-Klinik Kassel
Start date reported by registry
2022-01-15 (reported)

Registry updated: Not reported · Status last verified by the registry submitter: Not reported

Registry records retrieved 2026-10-14 (UTC). Individual records may have older updates. Recruitment and eligibility must be confirmed with the study team.

Contact the research team

Public study contacts supplied to the registry. Ask whether recruitment is still open and what participation involves.

495616009250 · gesundaltern@pkd.de

Study locations

Site status can differ from overall study status. “Status not reported” means local availability needs confirmation. Remote participation and travel arrangements must be checked with the team.

Facility not reported

Austria

Status not reported

Facility not reported

Germany

Status not reported

Facility not reported

Spain

Status not reported

Facility not reported

Luxembourg

Status not reported

The original descriptions and participation rules come from the registry. Participation is voluntary and does not guarantee benefit.