Nordic Brain Network

The NBN also collaborates with several other universities in Nordic countries and numerous international researchers from various regions in the world. NBN has increased the resources available to the field of cognitive impairment, dementia/Alzheimer’s disease and aging research. The network also promotes collaboration among Nordic countries, exchange of knowledge, increased productivity and international competitiveness.

Members of NBN have identified several modifiable and treatable risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, including interactions between genetic and environmental factors,

They also conduct multidomain lifestyle interventions for the prevention of dementia, including exercise, diet, cognitive training and vascular risk management. They are actively involved in several phase I-III randomized controlled trials with potential disease-modifying drugs. NBN contributes additionally to understanding biological mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and to developing biomarkers that can aid early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring in Alzheimer’s disease. More recently, they are developing and testing novel eHealth tools for dementia risk detection, dementia prevention, and for clinical decision support.

Research group leader

Additional members employed at / affiliated to University of Eastern Finland and National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland (45+ members)

Collaborations

Numerous collaborations in Nordic countries, EU, and globally. For more details, please see the document entitled ‘Kivipelto_NBN_Projects’

Research Projects

Below is a list of studies for which Prof. M. Kivipelto is Principal Investigator (PI). For the full list of collaborative projects, please see the attached document entitled ‘Kivipelto_NBN_Projects’

Epidemiological Research

Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study (PI: M. Kivipelto. Collaborators: Prof. H. Soininen (Univ. Eastern Finalnd), Professors. J. Tuomilehto and T. Laatikainen (National Institute of Health and Welfare, Helsinki) and Aging Research Center (ARC), KI, Stockholm. CAIDE investigates lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors for dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and structural brain changes using a follow-up period extending up to 30 years.

Clinical Research

• Clinical database (GEDOC) at the Memory Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge (PI: M. Kivipelto. Collaboraors: Professors L-O. Wahlund, N. Andreasen, A. Nordberg, & Dr. V. Jelic and Dr. P. Andersen). GEDOC Clinical-based database for patients at Karolinska University Hospital memory clinic, Huddinge. It is used for clinical-based studies to identify biomarkers for early diagnosis of AD. Since the 1990s, the Memory Clinic has used the GEDOC electronic database and biobank for clinical dementia, including 7000+ patients and comprehensive longitudinal data for a duration 10+ years.
• Cortisol and Stress in Alzheimer’s Disease (Co-STAR) project (PI: Miia Kivipelto. Collaborators: Assoc. Prof. A. Solomon (Univ. Eastern Finland), Dr. S. Sindi (KI) Prof. L-O. Wahlund (KI), Dr. V. Jelic, Dr. P. Andersen and Psychologist G. Hagman (Karolinska University Hospital). The aim is to investigate stress-related factors, biomarkers and their associations with cognitive and daily life functioning in memory clinic patients.

Intervention studies

• Clinical Trials Unit, Memory Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital (Miia Kivipelto is Head and Coordinator). Collaborations with Professors and clinicians at KI and Karolinska University Hospital: E.g. Professors. L-O. Wahlund, N. Andreasen, A. Nordberg and Dr. V. Jelic, Dr. P. Andersen. Phase I-III RCTs in subjects with prodromal AD or dementia, testing efficacy of potential disease-modifying treatment, including anti-amyloid drugs and nutraceuticals.
• Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) (PI: M. Kivipelto) The study is coordinated at National Institute of Health and Welfare and conducted in collaboration with several universities in Finland and Sweden. The Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (NCT01041989, Clinicaltrials.gov): a multi-center RCT in Finland, testing the effect of a 2-year multi-domain intervention in delaying cognitive impairment and disability in elderly at risk.
• MIND-AD project: Multimodal preventive trials for Alzheimer’s Disease: towards multinational strategies. (PI: Miia Kivipelto. Project partners: Prof. H. Soininen (Finland); Prof. S. Andrieu (France); Prof. T. Hartmann, (Germany); Dr. E. Richard (The Netherlands); Prof. Anders Wimo; Prof. P. Mecocci (Italy); Prof. C. Brayne (UK); Alzheimer Europe; Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)).The goal is to identify effective prevention strategies for AD/dementia tailored to different risk groups. The project is based on experiences and data from 5 ongoing European intervention studies on AD/dementia prevention, including FINGER (Finland), MAPT (France), PreDIVA (The Netherlands), LiPiDiDiet (Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden) and HATICE (Finland, France, The Netherlands, Sweden) studies. MIND-AD sub-projects: 1) magnetoencephalography MEG project, in collaboration with Professor Martin Ingvar and Dr. Daniel Lundqvist at the the NatMEG lab, Clinical Neuroscience Dept, KI, 2) Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis: in collaboration with Prof. L. Engstrand and Dr. N. Brusselaers at The Centre for Translational Microbiome Research (CTMR), KI, and Dr. Stephan Haas (Gastrocentrum, Karolinska University Hospital).
• HATICE: Healthy Ageing Through Internet Counselling in the Elderly. (PI: Miia Kivipelto. Collaborators: Prof. S. Andrieu and E. Richard). Cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and physical inactivity are common in the elderly and increase the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and dementia. The main aims are: 1) Develop an innovative, interactive internet intervention platform to optimise treatment of cardiovascular disease in the elderly, 2) Test this new intervention in a randomised controlled trial to investigate whether new cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline can be prevented. http://www.hatice.eu/
• IMI-EPAD: The European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia. (Co-investigator and National Lead for Scandinavia). EPAD is an initiative launched by The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI); the largest public-private initiative in Europe. Its main goal is to accelerate the development of better and safer medications. EPAD aims to develop an infrastructure that efficiently enables the undertaking of adaptive, multi-arm Proof of Concept studies for early and accurate decisions on the ongoing development of drug candidates or drug combinations. http://www.imi.europa.eu/content/epad.
• Multimodal strategies to promote a healthy brain in aging: Innovative evidence-based tools (MULTI-MODE) project, funded by EIT-Health. (PI: Miia Kivipelto. Collaborators: Prof. L. Middleton (Imperial College London, UK); Prof. A. Ikram (Rotterdam University, the Netherlands); Professor L. Fratiglioni (KI, Sweden), Prof. Magnus Boman (Research Institutes of Sweden); Prof. Josep Maria Haro (Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Spain). The goal of MULTI-MODE is to produce and commercialise 2 evidence-based, e-health tools to predict dementia risk and prevent cognitive decline and dementia for use by citizens/health care staff. Its dissemination/education will reduce health costs/societal burden.
• World-Wide FINGERS (WW-FINGERS): WW-FINGERS: Professor Kivipelto recently launched the launched WW-FINGERS, which is an interdisciplinary network to share experiences, harmonise data, and plan joint international initiatives for dementia/cognitive impairment prevention in various countries / regions. This platform creates a unique opportunity for rapid knowledge dissemination and implementation. http://alz.org/wwfingers/overview.asp. Researchers from 15 countries around the world are already carrying out or are about to start a number of clinical trials based on the FINGER protocol. Main current partners: Wake Forest University (US), Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, Northern California (US), Shandon University (China), National University of Singapore, UNSW, Sydney (Australia), Imperial College, London (UK).

Research support

With special thanks to the following donors for the support they provide or earlier provided to our research:

• Swedish Research Council
• Alzheimerfonden
• Alzheimerfondens Jubileumsfond
• Hjärnfonden
• Joint Programme Neurodegenerative Disease (JPND)
• Academy of Finland
• Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED)
• Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation,
• Alzheimer’s Association,
• AXA Research Fund,
• Wallenberg Clinical Scholar,
• Konung Gustaf V:s och Drottning Victorias Frimurarstiftelse
• ALF grant
• EU 7th framework grant
• KID funding
• La Carita Foundation
• Juho Vainio foundation
• The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela)
• Novo Nordisk
• Ministry of Education and Culture (Finland
• Innovative Medicine Initiative- European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium (IMI-EPAD)
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology: EIT-Health (a body of the EU
• Wallenberg Clinical Scholars
• MetLife Foundation Major Award for Medical Research
• Stockholms sjukhem donation professor post

Selected publications

Midlife vascular risk factors and Alzheimer's disease in later life: longitudinal, population based study.
Kivipelto M, Helkala EL, Laakso MP, Hänninen T, Hallikainen M, Alhainen K, et al
BMJ 2001 Jun;322(7300):1447-51

Risk score for the prediction of dementia risk in 20 years among middle aged people: a longitudinal, population-based study.
Kivipelto M, Ngandu T, Laatikainen T, Winblad B, Soininen H, Tuomilehto J
Lancet Neurol 2006 Sep;5(9):735-41

Association between mid-life marital status and cognitive function in later life: population based cohort study.
Håkansson K, Rovio S, Helkala EL, Vilska AR, Winblad B, Soininen H, et al
BMJ 2009 Jul;339():b2462

Leisure-time physical activity from mid- to late life, body mass index, and risk of dementia.
Tolppanen AM, Solomon A, Kulmala J, Kåreholt I, Ngandu T, Rusanen M, et al
Alzheimers Dement 2015 Apr;11(4):434-443.e6

A 2 year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk monitoring versus control to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people (FINGER): a randomised controlled trial.
Ngandu T, Lehtisalo J, Solomon A, Levälahti E, Ahtiluoto S, Antikainen R, et al
Lancet 2015 Jun;385(9984):2255-63

Association of Vitamin B12, Folate, and Sulfur Amino Acids With Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measures in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study.
Hooshmand B, Mangialasche F, Kalpouzos G, Solomon A, Kåreholt I, Smith AD, et al
JAMA Psychiatry 2016 06;73(6):606-13

24-month intervention with a specific multinutrient in people with prodromal Alzheimer's disease (LipiDiDiet): a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.
Soininen H, Solomon A, Visser PJ, Hendrix SB, Blennow K, Kivipelto M, et al
Lancet Neurol 2017 12;16(12):965-975

Multidomain lifestyle intervention benefits a large elderly population at risk for cognitive decline and dementia regardless of baseline characteristics: The FINGER trial.
Rosenberg A, Ngandu T, Rusanen M, Antikainen R, Bäckman L, Havulinna S, et al
Alzheimers Dement 2018 03;14(3):263-270

Effect of the Apolipoprotein E Genotype on Cognitive Change During a Multidomain Lifestyle Intervention: A Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Solomon A, Turunen H, Ngandu T, Peltonen M, Levälahti E, Helisalmi S, et al
JAMA Neurol 2018 Apr;75(4):462-470

Sleep disturbances and dementia risk: A multicenter study.
Sindi S, Kåreholt I, Johansson L, Skoog J, Sjöberg L, Wang HX, et al
Alzheimers Dement 2018 10;14(10):1235-1242