Nurse tending to a patient

Dementia Current Research

Our team includes Neurologists, Psychologists, Researchers and Nurses from both University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust.

We diagnose and treat patients with dementia and also offer clinical research opportunities to people with and without dementia. Our research focuses on early diagnosis of dementia, understanding how memory is stored in the brain and how this can be enhanced and clinical trials of treatment in dementia.

We run one of the only brain health clinical services in the country, seeing people with mild memory problems, and offering precision early diagnosis or exclusion of dementia.  We also offer evidence-based brain health lifestyle advice and access to research which aims to delay the onset of dementia.

For further information about our Dementia research, visit our ReMemBr Group web pages.

Please speak to the person treating you to find out if there is a research study that may be able to help you.

Current studies:

AHEAD 3-45 Study

A drug trial focusing on those with pre-clinical Alzheimer’s Disease who show evidence of elevated or intermediate amyloid levels. Participants will go through screening procedures that may assess amyloid level, and then take part in a series of assessments over 4 years to track progressions while receiving drug infusions.

Project Details

PI: Dr Elizabeth Coulthard

Planned End Date: 01 Dec 2023 (recruitment end)

Local Ref: 4895

DREAMS AD Academic Study

An observational study proposing to understand more of the nature, severity and frequency of sleep disturbances that are associated with real-world cognitive decline and to explore relationships between sleep and cognitive change.

Project Details

PI: Dr Elizabeth Coulthard

Planned End Date: Jan 2023 (recruitment end)

Local Ref: 4930

RESTED Academic Study

Our overarching goal is to refine the treatment of dementia-related sleep and memory impairment. This work will focus on both AD and LBD, together with their prodromal stages of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The RESTED Programme will invite healthy controls, alongside participants with AD, LBD and DRD to undergo a combination of sleep monitoring at home and specific tests of cognition

Project Details

PI: Dr Elizabeth Coulthard

Planned End Date: Jan 2023 (recruitment end)

Local Ref: 5123

COBALT

COmBining memantine and cholinesterase inhibitors in Lewy body dementia Treatment trial

The COBALT Trial aims to find out if adding Memantine to AChEI treatment improves overall health and functioning for people with Lewy Body Dementia (DLB) or Parkinson's Disease Dementia (PDD).
A 150 patients with DLB and 150 patients with PDD, from across the UK will  take part in this trial. Participation will consist of a few visits over 52 weeks to the site for cognitive assessments, telephone follow ups and monitored use of either the placebo or Memantine. 

PI Dr Elizabeth Coulthard

Recruitment end date:01 April 2025

Local Ref: R&D 5195

MySmile

Our research group and others have found links between Alzheimer’s and gum disease. Gum disease occurs when certain bacteria thrive under the gum line causing inflammation and bleeding. There is good evidence these bacteria pass into the bloodstream and speed up, or cause development of other diseases (such as diabetes and heart disease). This study monitors Alzheimer’s patients treated for gum disease for 12 months to see if this also slows their rate of memory loss. We're looking for 50 participants. 

PI: Dr Elizabeth Coulthard

Planned end Date: May 2025

Local Ref: R&D 5319

Enroll-HD - Huntington's Disease

Enroll-HD is a prospective observational multicentre multi-national cohort study to be conducted in multiple native languages. Study visits will take place yearly and may occur at the time of the participant’s routine clinical care visit, where possible. The goal of Enroll-HD is to build a large and rich database of clinical information and biospecimens that will serve as a basis for future studies aimed at developing tools and biomarkers for progression and prognosis, identifying clinically relevant phenotypic characteristics, and establishing clearly defined endpoints for interventional studies.

PI Dr Elizabeth Coulthard

Local Ref: 3553

Take Part in Research

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Become one of the thousands of people taking part in research every day within the NHS.

About Research & Development

NBT Researcher

Find out more about our research and how we're working to improve patient care.

Contact Research

Research & Development
North Bristol NHS Trust
Level 3, Learning & Research building
Southmead Hospital
Westbury-on-Trym
Bristol, BS10 5NB

Telephone: 0117 4149330
Email: research@nbt.nhs.uk