In the last few weeks, Wave 2 participants in our Age Well clinical trial were invited to attend the Cyceron Centre at Caen for their fourth and final round of examinations.

Project Manager, Dr Géraldine Poisnel, from Inserm Team U1237 at Cyceron, says: “These final rounds of follow-up tests will allow us to start the analysis of the long-term effects on the mental health and well-being of the ageing population in Europe.”

The 35 participants, all aged 65+, have been helping our expert researchers learn more about the mental health & well being of the ageing population. After taking part in a series of baseline tests, each volunteer was randomly assigned to one of three groups – an English language course, a meditation course, or a control group in which participants made no changes to their lifestyle.

The visits were previously postponed due to concerns about the safety and well-being of the participants due to Covid-19.

Wave 3 participants will close the study with their follow-up visits expected to take place between September and November 2022.

Blood tests, neuroimaging scans and questionnaires have been used by our expert researchers to assess the impact of mental training techniques on the brain. The volunteers’ lifestyle habits – such as sleep, diet, physical exercise and emotions – have also been monitored.

Project Coordinator, Dr Gaël Chételat, concludes, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have volunteered in this study, kindly devoting their time to help us learn more about mental health in the ageing population.”