Miia Kivipelto, PI (http://www.uef.fi/caide/)

CAIDE began in 1998 and is an ongoing joint effort of the Department of Neurology, University of Finland, Kuopio Campus; the National Institute of Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; and ARC. Its purpose is to investigate the connection between social, lifestyle, and cardiovascular risk factors and cognition, dementia, and structural changes in the brain.

Researchers invited a random sample of 2,000 people who had been middle-aged when they participated in two earlier Finnish studies on cardiovascular disease (the North Karelia and FINMONICA studies). Participants were an average of 71 in 1998. Participants were interviewed and had clinical and psychological examinations.

CAIDE researchers have identified a number of factors that increase or decrease people’s risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. They have used these findings to develop the CAIDE Dementia Risk Score, a tool that can predict the liklihood that a middle-aged person will get dementia in 20 years. The study also laid the groundwork for the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER).