Online Project Aims to Speed Up Cures for Brain Disorders

The Brain Health Registry – led by top researchers at UC San Francisco – is a new, groundbreaking, web-based project designed to speed up cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain disorders. It uses online questionnaires and online neuropsychological tests (which are very much like online brain games) to help us better understand brain health across the lifespan. The online setup of the Registry can help make clinical trials – which are needed to develop cures – faster, better and less expensive.

Participating Is Easy

Anyone over 18 is welcome to participate. It takes just a few minutes to sign up, and participating – for most people – takes less than three hours of activity per year. And it’s all done online, so you can do it from home or anywhere you have Internet access.

Breakthrough Potential

Eight-five percent of clinical trials have trouble recruiting enough participants. By creating a large online database of pre-qualified recruits, the Brain Health Registry can dramatically cut the cost and time of conducting clinical trials. This is the first neuroscience project to leverage online possibilities in this way and on this scale.

Meaningful and Fun

With every click of the mouse, you help researchers get closer to a cure for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. (If Alzheimer’s runs in your family, this may be an important gift to your loved ones.) The brain tests are like games, but no one keeps score and there is no way of winning or losing. These tests take just a few minutes, and you can do them as often as you like.

Protecting Privacy

In all cases, and with all steps, we respect your privacy. Top scientists from some of the most renowned institutions in medicine are leading the Brain Health Registry. They understand your need for privacy, and they will protect it at every step of the way.

Helping Everyone

By answering the questionnaires and taking the online brain tests, you strengthen the database that the scientific community needs. You can also help us improve the website – visit the Contact Us page to offer us any feedback you may have on the site or on your experiences.

Michael W. Weiner, MD, is director of the SFVAMC Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases; principal investigator of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI); and 2011 recipient of the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Award from the Alzheimer’s Association.