POINTER Imaging is an ancillary study that adds imaging measurements to the U.S. study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention (U.S. POINTER) in order to determine whether lifestyle changes influence Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular pathology. U.S. POINTER is a two-year clinical trial sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association that is examining whether a multidomain lifestyle intervention (diet, exercise, cognitive stimulation, health risk monitoring) that simultaneously targets many risk factors can protect cognitive function in older adults who are at increased risk for cognitive decline. Both U.S. POINTER and POINTER Imaging are the first such studies to examine the effects of lifestyle changes on cognitive and brain function in a large group of Americans.
POINTER Imaging is an NIA-funded study that was launched in August 2019 and will determine whether this two-year lifestyle intervention influences amyloid and tau pathology, and brain structure and function in 1250 older adults who are at risk for cognitive decline.
Amyloid and tau will be measured with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging at baseline and 24 months.
Brain structure, white matter abnormalities, and blood flow will be assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline, 12m and 24m.
Goal: To determine whether changes in lifestyle affect brain imaging measurements of Alzheimer’s Disease and cerebrovascular pathology biomarkers in at-risk older individuals.