Research Projects
Current ongoing research projects:
ARF are involved in a diverse array of independent and collaborative research projects. Here, a selection of recent and ongoing projects from ARF members are highlighted to offer an indication of the kinds of work and interdisciplinary expertise encompassed by the group.
PROtein enriched MEDiterranean diet to combat undernutrition and promote healthy neuroCOGnitive ageing in older adults
Principal Investigator: Dr Claire McEvoy | Co-investigators: Professor Bernadette McGuiness
Funding: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC), under the umbrella of the European Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (JPI HDHL) of the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.
BRAIN-Diabetes: Border Region Area lifestyle Intervention study for healthy Neurocognitive ageing in diabetes
Principal Investigator: Professor Peter Passmore | Co-investigators: Dr Claire McEvoy; Professor Bernadette McGuiness
Funding: European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)
SPACE: Supportive environments for Physical and social Activity, healthy ageing and CognitivE health
Principal Investigator - Dr Bernadette McGuinness |Co-investigators:
Tailored dietary interventions combined with oral rehabilitation in older patients
Principal Investigator: Dr Gerry McKenna | Co-investigators: Professor Bernadette McGuiness
Predicting the risk of postoperative delirium: Use of neuropsychology, serum and CSF biomarkers and genetics to predict
Leads: Emma Cunningham, Aoife Sweeney |Funding: Department for the Economy
Identifying sub-phenotypes of delirium using existing research data
Leads: Emma Cunningham, Emily Bowman | Funding: Alzheimer’s Research UK
HCAP. Harmonization of cognitive assessment across three longitudinal studies.
Combines the Northern Ireland Cohort of Longitudinal Ageing (NICOLA) study and The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA).
Principal investigator: Dr Bernadette McGuinness| Co-investigators: Professor Peter Passmore
Funding: National Institute on Ageing (NIA)
NICOLA - Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Clinical Narrative Analytics: Using computational linguistics to predict dementia diagnosis from descriptive clinical text.
Using NICOLA Study linked to administrative data to understand how older adults in Northern Ireland transition from MCI to dementia, and to examine equality in dementia-related health care access.
Using NICOLA Study to examine the epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment and subjective cognitive decline in Northern Ireland’s older adults.
The impaCt Of dietary intake and Nutritional status in CarE homes on orAl heaLth: an EviDence synthesis (CONCEALED)
Principal Investigator: Dr Gerry McKenna | Co-investigators: Dr Claire McEvoy
PRIME-Cognition: Periodontitis and future cognitive decline.
PRIME Study Follow-up. investigation of the effects of dental health on cognitive function in older men.
Leads: Professor Bernadette McGuiness & Professor Peter Passmore
Funding: The Dunhill Medical Trust 2017