Maintain Your Brain

Maintain Your Brain (MYB) is a randomised controlled trial of an online intervention designed to target modifiable risk factors for dementia in general and Alzheimer’s disease in particular.

MYB aims to reduce cognitive decline across three years amongst 55-77 year olds. Risk factors are addressed through four intervention modules (physical activity, nutrition, brain training, and peace of mind) administered based on individual risk profiles. Work started on the MYB digital platform in 2016, the trial started in 2018 and 2020 saw participants complete their 24-month follow-up. MYB was designed to be fully online and we were able to continue study procedures with minimal impact from COVID-19. New materials and recommendations were shared with participants to maintain lifestyle changes despite restriction requirements. Participants were also encouraged to share their physical distancing stories with other participants during this period. Early indications are that the level of participation during this period was consistent with previous years. We appreciate the efforts of all participants during a time where usual routines were disrupted.

Study Coordinator: Dr Megan Heffernan

Project Leaders

Professor Henry Brodaty, Professor Perminder Sachdev

Project Members

Tiffany Chau, Juan Carlo San Jose

We are exceptionally grateful to all participants across our studies, including 77 year-old Paddy Goldsmith, who, along with 6,000 other Australians, is playing a vital role in changing the future of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias through her participation in Maintain Your Brain.

“My motivation to be involved in research came after losing two friends to dementia; one of whom was especially dear to me,” says Paddy. “We also know six other families who have a family member living with the disease and my simple hope is that our involvement will help others in the future. Witnessing our friends and their carers endure the downward path of dementia was undeniably a strong motivator to join a prevention trial.” Paddy was born in England and moved to Australia in 1969 with husband Geoff. They live in the beautiful countryside of Bowral not far from their two Sydneydwelling sons, two grandchildren, a grand-dog and grand-cat.

For Paddy, the personal benefits of being involved in a research trial are enormous.

I firmly believe this program has benefited both Geoff and I greatly and we would love future generations to follow the same path, starting at a much younger age! Paddy says she now concentrates better through the brain training, feels much better in herself through the dietary changes she has made as a result of the program and feels she has recovered more quickly from brain surgery than would have been the case without the benefit of the required exercise. “The more I learn about dementia and the associated risk factors, the more I hope the work of Maintain Your Brain will bring about a change that is recognised by more people.”

Paddy and Geoff Goldsmith

This is an excerpt from a blog in The Brain Dialogues. To read the full article: http://bit.ly/FutureGenerationsMYB