Interested in participating, collaborating, or accessing data?
The Aging Brain Cohort (ABC) Study
The Aging Brain Cohort (ABC) study’s mission is to discover how brain health is related to the problems that coincide with aging. With your help, we hope to identify risk factors for a host of age-related problems (e.g. cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, etc.).
NOW RECRUITING 20-80 year old adults
Check out our Fall 2024 newsletter with our latest publications, team member updates, and ongoing research opportunities.
About ABC
The Aging Brain Cohort Study (ABC) is a large-scale study being run by Dr. Julius Fridriksson at the University of South Carolina that examines how people’s brain health changes as they get older. Our goal is to find out why some brains are more resistant to age related decline than others.
In order to answer this question, we are going to gather information from 800 residents of South Carolina. We will gather data on diet, sleep, exercise, gender, income, race, education, and language. We will also conduct a series of tests including an MRI, EEG, and sample blood and cell tests.
Click on the video link to meet the team and get a behind-the-scenes look at the state of the art testing you’ll experience if you choose to participate.
Using this data, we will examine the relationship between these measures and brain health across the lifespan (ages 20-80). All of this information will be stored in the ABC Biobank which will serve as an invaluable resource for researchers trying to identify risk factors for age-related brain decline.
As of July 2023, we have reached 400 participants and are halfway to our goal of “800”!
What to Expect
If you decide to participate in the ABC study, you will spend several hours with our team of psychologists and neuroscientists.
First, you will complete a series of questionnaires and cognitive tasks on your own at home. Then, you will schedule three different sessions with our team.
In the virtual testing session, we assess cognition and language over Zoom (2 hours).
During the in-person testing session, we collect measures of motor, speech, sensation, blood pressure (Sphygmocor), retinal imaging, blood sample, and buccal swab for genetics analysis. Testing will be completed in the ABC testing suite on the USC Columbia campus (2.5 hours). Optionally, you can undergo an EEG exam, which involves a sensor net and gel placed over your scalp to record your brainwaves as you perform tasks (2 hours).
Finally, at the MRI session at Prisma Health Richland Hospital, we capture images of your brain using magnetic resonance imaging (2 hours).
You will be compensated for your participation ($155, plus $25 for optional EEG).
Benefits
While participants will not benefit directly from being in this study, they will be compensated for time spent with our staff. Data from the ABC study will help researchers understand the relationship between various biologic measures (e.g. MRI, EEG and DNA) and age-related cognitive decline and stroke.
Participate
If you are age 20-80 and can understand spoken and written English you may be able to participate. Check your eligibility by clicking the link below and answering a few questions. If you qualify for participation, our friendly study staff will contact you by phone to tell you more about the study.
Get In Touch
Have questions? Email us at abcstudy@mailbox.sc.edu