The new survey, which involves not only the FEL CTU, but also the 1st Faculty of Medicine, CERGE-EI and the research agency SC&C (whose interviewers carry out the data collection), involves a simple test of speech, smell and sleep. The test involves, among other things, respondents reading a passage of text by Karel Čapek, quickly repeating selected syllables, telling a story, identifying smells, and completing questions about the quality of their sleep. The research aims to identify patterns of incipient neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease or various types of dementia in the older population.
Changes in speech, smell and sleep are among the most sensitive indicators of pathological processes in the brain and are able to detect them at very early stages, when existing diagnostic methods fail. The team of scientists at the FEL CTU and the 1st Faculty of Medicine of the Charles University is one of the world leaders in detecting the influence of neurodegenerative diseases on these indicators. In the past, for example, it has received a prestigious grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, received the Czech Health Minister's Research Award and developed a unique application for detecting early parkinsonism from telephone calls.
Survey respondents whose tests reveal abnormalities will be invited to the Neurological Clinic of the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University for a detailed examination. The research may thus contribute significantly to detecting the disease in the elderly population, catching it early and providing follow-up medical care. Early diagnosis and early intervention is a crucial factor in this type of disease to ensure the least risk-free course and quality of life.
"Our involvement in the research is a unique opportunity for us to be the first in the world to validate the potential of using speech, smell and sleep testing in a population-based survey for early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. These methods can help at-risk individuals to receive a more accurate diagnosis before they develop symptoms. This greatly increases their chances of maintaining a high quality of life in later years. If our research is successful, these methods could be applied in other countries and inspire new medical practices," said the head of the research group, Assoc. Jan Rusz from the Department of Circuit Theory at the FEL CTU.
The Czech Republic is the only one of the 28 European countries where speech, smell and sleep tests are conducted as part of the Ageing Survey. The fact that the testing is carried out on a large population sample is also unique. The survey started during October 2024 and SC&C interviewers will be contacting respondents suitable for inclusion in the survey until the end of April 2025.
Detailed information about the survey, including the results of previous waves of SHARE - 50+ in Europe, can be found here.
