PATIENTS in Oxfordshire will be some of the first in the UK to take part in a study looking at the long term risks of developing dementia.

The research is part of a European-wide study of 3,000 people to examine changes in those who do and do not develop the condition.

It will be carried out locally by Oxford University and is the first in England and Wales, as well as the second in the UK.

It is hoped this will allow researchers to better target treatments at the early stages of dementia, or even before symptoms start, to slow down or even stop the disease.

Participants will visit 'memory clinics' run by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Each study visit will last about five hours and will include an initial visit and further visits at six months and one, two, three and four years, with the likelihood that the study will run long term.

These visits include an MRI brain scan, blood, saliva and urine samples, cognitive assessment, collection of medical history, physical and neurological examination and collection of spinal fluid.

The first recruit across the two counties is Mary-Jane Hicks, 57, a personal assistant from Abingdon.

Her father, Phillip Hicks, was diagnosed with dementia in 2012 aged 87 and died from the condition last year.

She lived with and cared for him during most of this time at his home in Abingdon.

The mother-of-two said: “Over the five years he had dementia, I saw him go from someone who just had a bit of forgetfulness, to someone who was aggressive, incontinent, falling all over the place, and being nasty. It was just a horror story unfolding.”

Researchers are examining the role of physical and lifestyle factors in Alzheimer’s risk such as genetics and head injury as well as excess of the protein amyloid in the brain, which is associated with the disease.

Ms Hicks said: “I’m worried that I might get dementia one day and I saw first-hand how awful it is, so I thought ‘if there’s anything to do to keep it at bay, like if the researchers identify something that might progress into it, then I’d be keen to be part of clinical trials’”.

For information about the trial visit ep-ad.org/ or call 01865 283806.