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What is ACCESS at ICL?
Access is our first study investigating the physiological changes in the brain related to small vessel disease and the mechanisms behind the changes. If you’ve been contacted about participating, it’s because we noticed changes in your previous MRI scan that could help us better understand the condition. These changes are extremely common, especially as we age, and they don’t indicate any specific problem or diagnosis. However, they provide crucial insight for our research into preventing strokes and dementia.
Participation options:
There are two key cohorts we are recruiting for- a remote cohort and an in-person cohort. This page will outline what is involved in both, and you will participate in one or the other.
This page covers a general summary of the study, but please read through our downloadable information sheet that contains all the information that must be read through before participating.
Remote cohort
If you’ve been invited to participate in the remote only cohort, you will need to read through the information given to you and then return your consent form via email. Once we’ve received the consent form, we will call you for a telephone assessment. During this, we will ask you questions about yourself, your family history, your medication and your lifestyle. We will also do a couple of cognitive assessments down the phone. The whole conversation should take around an hour to complete.
In-person cohort
If you’ve been invited to participate in person, you will receive an invitation to visit our clinical research facility at Hammersmith Hospital.
When you arrive, a member of our research team will meet you in reception and will be with you throughout the study. A typical study day will include:
- The opportunity to ask any questions and signing the consent forms
- Medical history
- A series of questionnaires to fill out (clinical and lifestyle)
- Cognitive tests, functional tests, and mobility tests
- A blood sample
- Physiological testing
What to expect during physiological testing:
This part of the study involves looking at your blood vessels with an ultrasound device. For the first part, we look at your blood vessels while you are at rest (lying down). For the second part, we will look at your blood vessel response to breathing in CO2. For this, you will wear a mask on your face that will allow us to adjust the CO2 levels in the air you breathe. This is a standard research procedure and completely safe though you might feel mild breathlessness throughout. Two members of our trained team will be with you the entire time to ensure your safety and comfort. Further information about this can be found in the downloadable information sheet.
Practical information:
What to wear:
- Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, as some mobility tests will involve light movement. If possible, wear clothing with sleeves that can easily roll up for your blood sample.
Location:
NIHR Imperial Clinical Research Facility
Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Hammersmith Hospital Campus,
Du Cane Rd, London W12 0HS
Contact on the day:
- If you have any trouble finding us or need assistance, call 07885610867, and a member of our team will be happy to help.
Important notes:
- You must have read the downloadable information sheet fully before participating.
- All tests are for research purposes only and will not affect your medical care or provide a clinical diagnosis.
- All of the research we publish will be fully anonymised, such that you are not identifiable.
- You do not need to participate in any part of the study you’re not comfortable with.
- You can withdraw from the study at any time without needing to provide a reason.
What will I get for participating?
You will not be paid for the visit itself, but you can be reimbursed for travel expenses and hospital visits that would not happen as part of your normal clinical care.
When will I hear about the research?
We will regularly update the website with our research and you will also receive an annual newsletter from year 2 of the study describing the study progress and any key results or publications.
Thank you for reading about our study and we hope you choose to participate in our research! If you have any questions about this study please contact us here:
Email: accessICL@imperial.ac.uk