The DISCOVERY (Determinants of Incident Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Vascular Effects on RecoverY) Network is a landmark study investigating the mechanisms of post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia with a goal to develop potential targets for personalized medicine and dramatically reduce the rates of cognitive and functional disability in high-risk US populations.
The DISCOVERY Network is investigating mechanisms of susceptibility and resilience to post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia in a representative population of white, black and hispanic stroke patients in the US. As a prospective, multi-center, observational, nested-cohort study, DISCOVERY is enrolling 8,000 nondemented ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients during their acute hospital admission and following them for a minimum of two years. All participants undergo serial cognitive evaluations and assessments of functional post-stroke outcome, while subsets of participants additionally undergo research-based MRI and PET scans and comprehensive genetic/genomic and fluid biomarker testing.
With stroke as the leading cause of adult disability in the US and up to 70% of stroke survivors suffering some degree of post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia, DISCOVERY aims to translate novel findings into practical tools for identifying high-risk patients. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of cognitive and functional recovery post-stroke will inform future diagnostic tools and targeted interventions for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia.
The DISCOVERY Network grant was funded in September 2019 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) (U19NS115388).
Professors Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH and Steven M. Greenberg, MD, PhD of the MGH J. Philip Kistler Stroke Research Center lead this collaborative network leveraging 30 premier academic clinical sites across the US and the expertise of four cores to lead the way in understanding post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia risk and resilience.
