Sample details

The BIOCARD Study began in 1995 at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), United States, with the aim to identify biomarkers among cognitively normal individuals that can predict cognitive impairment or dementia. The study initially recruited and assessed 349 cognitively normal middle-aged individuals between 1995 and 2005, most of whom by design had a first-degree relative with dementia. In 2005, the study was stopped but was later reinitiated at Johns Hopkins University in 2009. Since then, participants have been followed up annually with clinical and cognitive assessments, and bi-annually with MRI scans, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood specimen collection. Enrolment of additional participants began in 2020, with the sample now comprising 477 individuals (as of August 2025). Many participants who were initially enrolled at the NIH have been followed for over 30 years.

Study design

Cohort

Number of participants at first data collection

477

Age at first data collection

Varied

Participant year of birth

Varied

Participant sex

MF

Representative sample

No

Sample features

Middle-aged peopleHealthy participants

Dataset details

Country

United States of America

Year of first data collection

2026-01-27T11:12:42.968000+00:00

Primary institutions

Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

Links

Primary URL

Profile on aggregate site

Aggregate profile URL

Profile paper DOI

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25212916/

Funders

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Ongoing?

Yes

Data types collected

Standard measures