Abstract

The researchers will carry out a comprehensive study on the effect of TNFα inhibitors on memory and thinking abilities. They will particularly focus on people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that in some cases can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.Dr McGuinness and her team will recruit people with rheumatoid arthritis from rheumatology day centres in Belfast and Southampton. Those who are found to have MCI will be invited to take part in the study. The participants will then be visited by a specialist nurse who will test their memory and thinking abilities. The visits will take place every 6 months over an 18 month period. The team will use their findings to compare the memory and thinking abilities of people taking TNFα inhibitors to those on other types of rheumatoid arthritis drugs. This will indicate whether the TNFα inhibitors have any effect on the risk of progression from MCI to Alzheimer’s disease. If this study finds that people taking TNFα inhibitors appear to be at a reduced risk of dementia, this should pave the way for a clinical trial to further test the effects of these drugs. Investigating drugs that are already licenced for other conditions is a key part of Alzheimer’s Society’s Drug Discovery programme. This innovative method means that if an existing drug is found to be effective for people with dementia, it could be brought to the people who need it in half the time it takes to develop a drug from scratch.