Religious Order Study

Researchers are using the information from the study to discover what changes in the brain are responsible for memory and movement problems. The study also looks closely at the transition from normal functioning of the aging brain to the mild cognitive impairment that can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Overview

Acronym
ROS
Investigators
MD. David A. Bennett
Rush University Medical Center
Contacts
Annie Barz
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center
Gregory Klein
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center

General Design

Study design
Cohort
Start - End Year
1994 -
General Information on Follow Up (profile, frequency)

Annual follow-up

Recruitment Target
  • Individuals
Number of Participants
1,200
Number of Participants with Biological Samples
1,200

Access

Availability of data and biosamples

Possible Access to Data
Possible Access to Biosamples
Other

Marker Paper

Bennett DA, Schneider JA, Arvanitakis Z, Wilson RS. Overview and Findings from the Religious Orders Study. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2011; 9(6):628-645.

PUBMED 22471860

Supplementary Information

The overall goal of this proposed renewal of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (Rush ADCC) is to continue to provide an infrastructure to support cutting edge research on MCI, AD, and other dementias by providing researchers with clinical data and biologic specimens from persons with and without cognitive impairment for independently funded projects. The Rush ADCC has been in continuous operation since 1991. It has six Cores carefully designed to support a variety of timely and important areas of research including: 1) Studies of the neurobiology of MCI, AD, and other dementias; 2) Studies linking risk factors to ante-mortem and post-mortem indices of MCI, AD, and other dementias; 3) Studies with substantial participation by racial and ethnic minorities; and 4) Studies that facilitate the overall goals and mission of the Rush ADCC, the Alzheimer's Disease Centers program, and the AD research community. The six Rush ADCC cores are designed to achieve these overall goals. The Administrative Core provides scientific leadership to the ADCC as a whole. The Clinical Core collects data using the uniform data set procedures as designed and implemented by the AD Centers Clinical Task Force, and emphasizes careful follow-up and autopsy of racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with atypical dementias. The Religious Orders Study Core, begun in 1993, follows a group of more than 1000 older men and women members of Catholic religious communities who have agreed to annual detailed clinical evaluations and to brain donation at death. The Neuropathology Core stores obtains, processes, stores and evaluates ante-mortem and postmortem biologic specimens tissue in accordance with the Neuropathology Data Set defined by NACC from persons evaluated by the Clinical and Religious Orders Study Cores. The Education and Information Transfer Core provides a wide range of educational programs to support outreach and recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities into the Clinical and Religious Orders Study Core. The Data Management and Biostatistics Core, begun in 1995, supplies computer systems for data acquisition and unified data management for all ADCC cores, biostatistical consultation both to the Cores and to investigators using Core data, and transfer of data to NACC and approved investigators outside the Rush ADCC utilizing the data and resource sharing policies in the Administrative Core.

Data/Bio-specimen Access: To apply for access to RADC data/tissue, please enter an electronic request at our website: https://www.radc.rush.edu/res/ext/home.htm.

Timeline

Population

ROS - Population

ROS participants are all brothers, sisters, and priests in the Roman Catholic church.

Selection Criteria

Minimum age
65
Countries
  • United States of America
Health Status
  • No dementia diagnosed before baseline
Other Criteria

agree to annual follow-up and donation of brain, spinal cord, muscle and nerve upon death

Sources of Recruitment

General Population
  • Volunteer enrolment
Specific Population
  • Other specific population :

    members of religious order communities of the Catholic church

Sample Size

Number of Participants
1,200
Number of Participants with Biological Samples
1,200

Data Collection Events

# Name Data sources Data sources - Biosamples Start End
0 ROS - Baseline
  • Questionnaires
  • Cognitive measures
  • Physical measures
  • Biosamples
  • Blood
1997 (December) 2013 (December)
1 ROS - Annual Follow-up visit
  • Questionnaires
  • Cognitive measures
  • Physical measures
  • Biosamples
  • Blood
  • Other : Brain, spinal cord, muscle, and nerve tissue upon autopsy.
1998 (November) 2013 (December)

Participating Studies

Acronym Name Study design Countries

Harmonization Initiatives Included

Acronym Name

Datasets

Name Data Collection Events Variables

Areas of Information Collected

Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Death
Lifestyle and behaviours
Physical measures and assessments
Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
Laboratory measures
Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
Diseases
Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
Symptoms and signs
Preschool, school and work life
Medication and supplements
Social environment and relationships
Non-pharmacological interventions
Physical environment
Health and community care services utilization
Administrative information

Variables Content Summary

Areas of Information Collected
No Areas of Information Collected
No Scales Collected
Areas of Information Collected per per Population and Data Collection Event
No Areas of Information Collected
No Scales Collected

Networks

Acronym Name Harmonization Initiatives Individual Studies
Last Update: 2021-05-05T09:39:29.700