Resources for Patients & Families

The goal of the DISCOVERY Study is to better understand what factors contribute to changes in thinking and memory abilities in patients who have had a stroke. The purpose of this study is to help doctors identify patients at risk for dementia (decline in memory, thinking, and other mental abilities that significantly affects daily functioning) after their stroke so that future treatments may be developed to improve outcomes in stroke patients. The DISCOVERY study aims to enroll thousands of stroke patients of all genders, races, and ethnicities to allow researchers to better understand what types of care may benefit future generations of stroke survivors.

Below, you will find some trusted stroke and dementia support resources for patients and families:

DISCOVERY FOR PATIENTS

The goal of the DISCOVERY study is to better understand brain function and memory after stroke survival and learn more about what factors make some people more or less likely to develop dementia (loss of mental capacity). The DISCOVERY study aims to enroll thousands of stroke survivors of all genders and races to allow researchers to better understand what types of care future generations of patients may need. Each enrolling hospital site within the DISCOVERY Network is designated as either Tier 1, 2, or 3, based on their capacity to conduct additional cognitive testing and neuroimaging (e.g. MRI scan, PET scan). Please find our Study Inclusion & Exclusion criteria below:

Inclusion Criteria

  1. 1. Age ≥18 years
  2. 2. Admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of AIS, ICH, or aSAH
  3. 3. Radiographic confirmatory evidence of: (1) AIS (based on a focal area of restricted diffusion on MRI), (2) non-traumatic ICH (based on evidence of acute parenchymal hemorrhage CT or brain MRI) or (3) non-traumatic acute aSAH (based on evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage on CT or MRI and evidence of aneurysm on CT angiography, MR angiography, or conventional catheter-based angiography)
  4. 4. Able to complete baseline visit in person or by phone within 6 weeks of stroke onset
  5. 5. Able to provide informed consent by self or proxy
  6. 6. Fluent in English or Spanish prior to stroke onset

Exclusion Criteria

  1. 1. Documented history of pre-stroke dementia or fails dementia pre-screen
  2. 2. Concurrently enrolled into a study that is not approved under the DISCOVERY Co-Enrollment Policy
  3. 3. Unable to complete study protocol (advanced directives such as comfort measures only, or inability to complete the study due to severe medical/behavioral co-morbidities), as determined by physician investigator during screening process

Additional exclusion criteria for Tier 2 participants:

  1. 4. Contraindication to MRI: presence of electrically, magnetically, or mechanically activated implants (such as cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, implanted pumps); or metallic clips in the brain
  2. 5. Age <50 years

Additional exclusion criteria for Tier 3 participants:

  1. 6. Women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant
  2. 7. Known to have one of the following genetic conditions which can increase the chance of cancer: Cowden disease, Lynch syndrome, hypogammaglobulinemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, Down’s syndrome