COMIDE-project: Cognitive Motor Interference in Dementia “Continuum”
Project Leader
- Rui Wang
Department
- Department of Physical Activity and Health
Research Funders
- Swedish Research Council
- The Dementia Association - The National Association for the Rights of the Demented
- Knowledge Foundation
Abstract
Below you can read summaries about the project in English and/or Swedish. The information is taken from the publication database DiVA.
Purpose and Objectives
The aim is to understand the factors behind age-related neurodegenerative diseases in order to better prevent, diagnose, and treat them. In the COMIDE project, we will focus on motor function (movement ability) to understand the connection between movement, cognitive function, and dementia diseases, as well as the underlying mechanisms for the development of dementia. The research is being conducted in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH).
Data Collection
In 2024, data collection for the COMIDE study began at GIH. Participants will undergo a visit to the motor skills lab (movement lab) at GIH, which lasts approximately 2.5–3.0 hours, in addition to a movement measurement conducted prior to the visit. Before the visit, movement measurements will be performed using an accelerometer and diary, along with stool sample collection and a survey on lifestyle, habits, local area information, and health. During the motor lab visit, we will assess health, cognitive abilities, strength, balance, fitness, sensory functions, as well as lung function and blood pressure.
Syfte och målsättning
Syftet är att förstå faktorerna bakom åldersrelaterade neurodegenerativa sjukdomar för att bättre kunna förebygga, diagnostisera och behandla dem. I COMIDE-projektet kommer vi att fokusera på motorisk funktion (rörelseförmåga) för att förstå sambandet mellan rörelse, kognitiv funktion och demenssjukdomar, samt de underliggande mekanismerna för utvecklingen av demens. Forskningen genomförs i nära samarbete med Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset och Gymnastik- och Idrottshögskolan (GIH).
Datainsamling
Från och med 2024 kommer data-insamlingen för COMIDE-studien att påbörjas vid GIH. Deltagarna kommer att genomgå ett besök på motoriklab (rörelselab) vid GIH, som varar cirka 2,5–3,0 timmar, samt en rörelsemätning före besöket. Innan besöket genomförs rörelsemätningar med hjälp av en aktigraf och dagbok, gångtester, avföringsprovtagning samt en enkät om livsstil, vanor, information om närområdet och hälsa. Under motoriklabbesöket kommer vi att undersöka hälsa, kognitiv förmåga, styrka, balans, kondition, sinnesfunktioner samt lungfunktion och blodtryck.

Background
The preclinical phase of dementia—particularly Alzheimer’s disease—can span up to 20 years before clinical symptoms become apparent. Identifying easily identifiable markers to predict dementia and other age-related neurodegenerative disorders is increasingly important in the context of global population aging. Our project aims to collect comprehensive data from older individuals on cognition, motor and sensory function, and body composition. We will explore how digital biomarkers, particularly those capturing movement and motor function, relate to cognitive health and can help predict neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
We want to address following questions
- How is motor function linked to cognitive performance as we age?
- What are the potential mechanisms that link cognitive and motor function?
- Can we identify individuals at risk for cognitive decline by analysing how they walk?
- How might different lifestyle habits help protect motor and cognitive abilities over time?
- How do dual-task motor skills predict cognitive abilities and the risk of dementia?
Video about the COMIDE project data collection
In the COMIDE study, we are evaluating an intervention aimed at understanding how physical health, cognition, sensory function, fitness, and other factors are connected as we age. See more about the data collection in the video below.
Contact us: comide@gih.se
Co-researchers
- Benjamin Kröger, GIH, Department of Physical Activity and Health
- Maria Ekblom, GIH, Department of Physical Activity and Health
- Charlotta Thunborg, GIH, Department of Physical Activity and Health
- Miia Kivipelto, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society
- Neuroimaging Correlates of 3 Distinct Physical-Cognitive Phenotypes in Cognitively Normal Older Adults : The Gothenburg H70 Cohort Study.
- Association of Sarcopenia and Its Defining Components with the Degree of Cognitive Impairment in a Memory Clinic Population.
- Can dementia risk be reduced by following the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7? : A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.
Funding period
- 2023 - 2027
Project type
- Project grant
National Research Field
- Geriatrics
- Neurosciences
- Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
- Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences