New IDEAS study FAQs
Why is the New IDEAS study being conducted?
New IDEAS examines how PET amyloid scanning, a kind of brain scan, can help physicians diagnose and treat Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. It will also examine biomarkers, which are changes that a disease might cause in the body that doctors can measure with tests like blood tests. Identifying biomarkers can help to diagnose or treat the disease.
Why is this clinical study important?
This study is important because it studies dementia and Alzheimer's in a very diverse population and helps researchers understand how PET scans and biomarkers can be used to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease. New IDEAS represents one of the largest datasets of its kind and is an important milestone in Alzheimer's research.
Why take part in clinical research?
Clinical research helps others, especially those who are your same age, race or ethnicity, and it may help you directly.
What is a PET amyloid scan?
A PET scan — short for positron emission tomography — is an imaging technique that helps medical professionals visualize organs, including the brain, to detect and measure changes in the body. The amyloid-PET imaging technique can be used to detect amyloid buildup in the brain. The accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain is a
biomarker and one of the hallmark brain changes of Alzheimer's disease.
An amyloid PET scan is usually conducted at a hospital, major research center or a business that does imaging tests, and usually takes 1–2 hours to complete. Learn more about
how an amyloid PET scan works and what to expect.