A national effort to drive forward research into the causes and treatment of dementia has received massive support from sufferers and their carers.
The Scottish Dementia Clinical Research Network (SDCRN) is based at Murray Royal Royal Hospital in Perth and has been recruiting volunteers for clinical research.
More than 1000 people have already signed up and researchers are five months ahead of target.
The SDCRN collects details from volunteers, collates the information in a national register and then matches participants to clinical studies when requested by researchers.
It is hoped the scheme will aid efforts to tackle the illness.
“Developing dementia is something which worries people as they age and too many believe that nothing can be done to prevent it or to help people who develop it,” said Dr Peter Connelly, co-director of the network.
“The response of people with dementia and their carers… has been tremendous.
“It shows their enthusiasm for studies which might help them now or others in the future.”
Network manager Emma Law said, “The register is a huge advance.
“We already see that patients can be recruited more rapidly to studies, which can be completed more quickly than in the past.”
SDCRN was set up to promote clinical research in dementia, to increase the number of people with dementia and their carers engaged in high-quality studies, from both urban and rural areas and increase research activity within the NHS in Scotland.
Working with the Health Informatics Centre at Dundee University, it has developed an electronic database of patients and carers interested in being part of dementia research, which helps clinical researchers identify participants for their studies.
SDCRN is co-ordinated across Scotland through Murray Royal Hospital.
People wishing to be included on the Register can contact Phil Brown on 01738 562322, while potential researchers can also contact Peter Connelly and Emma Law on the same number.
For more information, visit www.sdcrn.org.uk.