Global Collaborative Research on Establishing a Korean Cognitive Aging Cohort

Condition(s) studied

Study summary

The goal of this observational study is to learn how daily emotional stress affects cognitive function and inflammation in community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does daily psychological stress measured in real-time affect short-term and long-term cognitive function in older adults? Do pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as CRP, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α) mediate the relationship between emotional stress and cognitive decline? How do social support and social isolation influence cognitive function and inflammatory biomarkers over time?

Participants will:

Complete baseline surveys assessing depression, cognitive function, and personal characteristics Use a smartphone app to answer brief surveys about their emotions, cognitive performance, and social interactions 1-6 times daily for two weeks Wear a Galaxy Watch to track sleep quality, heart rate, and physical activity Provide blood samples for inflammatory biomarker analysis Return for follow-up assessments at 6 months and 1 year

This study is part of an international collaboration to establish a Korean cohort comparable to the U.S. Einstein Aging Study, with the aim of developing culturally tailored dementia prevention strategies.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Incident MCI and Dementia Diagnosis — baseline, 6-month, 1-year, 5-year and 10-year follow-up
  Incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia diagnoses will be identified through clinical diagnosis during the study periods and linkage with the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database in Korea. This administrative data linkage enables long-term tracking of cognitive outcomes beyond the active study period.
• SNSB-2 Composite Score — Baseline and 12 months
  Composite score from the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-2 (SNSB-2), a standardized neuropsychological assessment covering attention, language, visuospatial function, memory, and executive function domains (Standardized composite z-score).
• Wechsler Memory Scale Score — Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months
  Memory function assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale (Index score (points)).
• Block Design Subtest Score — Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months
  Visuospatial constructional ability assessed using the Block Design subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) in Scaled score (points).
• EMA Daily Cognitive Task Performance — Daily during 2-week EMA period at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months
  Daily cognitive performance measured via smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using the Mobile Monitoring of Cognitive Change (M2C2) platform during the 2-week intensive period. Performance is assessed as accuracy (proportion correct) and reaction time on cognitive tasks.
• Plasma Phosphorylated Tau (p-tau) Level — Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months
  Plasma concentration of phosphorylated tau, a biomarker of tau-related neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.
• Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Composite Score — Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months
  Serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) will be measured using a multiplex ELISA. A cytokine composite score will be calculated using the factor analysis.
• Plasma Amyloid Beta (Aβ) Level — Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months
  Plasma concentration of amyloid beta, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease neuropathology (pg/mL).
• ApoE Genotype — Baseline
  Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genetic variation determined by DNA analysis. Participants will be classified as ApoE ε4 carriers or non-carriers.

Trial sites (1)

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