The HAVEN Study

Invitation to participate

This is an invitation to take part in a research study about blood vessel health and brain health in older people. Before you agree to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the information on this website if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if there’s anything else you would like to know. Take time to decide whether you want to take part, or not. You may like to discuss it with friends or relatives, or with your GP.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the way our blood naturally clots can affect the health of the blood vessels around the body and in the brain, and how this relates to our cognitive function in older life.

Previous research has shown that cardiovascular health conditions (like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes) are linked to brain health and cognitive function in older adults. There is some evidence that certain regions of the brain that are involved in memory may be particularly affected. However, we do not yet know exactly how blood vessel health can affect the brain. In particular, we don’t know whether overall cardiovascular health affects only the blood vessels in the brain, the brain cells, or the ability for blood vessels and brain cells to work together in a co-ordinated way.

This research study will investigate these relationships. One of our goals is to see if there are substances in the blood that can help to identify and protect individuals at risk of developing brain health problems in later life.

Who is running the study?

This study is being jointly run by the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) and The Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR). It has been reviewed and approved by the University of Reading University Research Ethics Committee.

Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN)
Research at the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) investigates the dynamical interactions that bring about human thought and behaviour – from the fast neural timescale of a few milliseconds, to the slow timescale of life-span development.

Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR)
The Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR) is a multidisciplinary centre that brings together scientists from a wide range of research fields to work to understand the development of cardiovascular diseases, and the underlying obesity-related metabolic diseases from which they develop.