Healthy Ageing: A new survey to detect risk factors for Parkinson’s disease
With the “Healthy Ageing” (HeBA) study, launched in September 2022, the National Centre of Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease (NCER-PD) - aims to investigate methods for risk prediction and to identify people at risk of developing the disease. Residents in Luxembourg and the Greater Region – between 50 and 80 years old not diagnosed with Parkinson's or dementia – are invited to fill in a detailed online questionnaire covering a wide range of topics such as demographics, occupation, lifestyle and medical history. This information will allow the researchers to calculate risk scores and to offer people at high risk for Parkinson’s the possibility to benefit from further in-depth clinical assessments.
The survey is conducted in parallel by Parkinson’s research centres in Germany, Austria and Spain. The objective is to have several thousand participants in each location. This concerted effort, leveraging the expertise of the NCER-PD team and collaboration between several countries, will lead to the creation of a European hub for risk screening for Parkinson’s.
HeBA is supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, whose aim is to ensure the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's. MJFF identifies and funds projects most vital to patients, and coordinates the efforts of multiple scientific teams worldwide.
Why participate in the study?
Even if you don’t have Parkinson’s, or other neurodegenerative disease, you can actively contribute to the research. By doing so, you will help our researchers in their work on:
- Early detection of people in Luxembourg and the Greater Region at risk for developing age-related neurodegenerative disease;
- Discovery of novel risk factors for developing an age-related neurodegenerative disease;
- Gaining insight into strategies for preventing the development of neurodegenerative diseases.