Our Research

Introduction

Carrying out research into ageing and dementia is one of the primary functions of RICE. Our central aim is to carry out high quality research to explore the best techniques for diagnosing, managing, treating and understanding dementia and memory changes in older adults. Broadly speaking our research can be broken down into two core themes: Clinical Research and Neuropsychological Research.   

Clinical Research at RICE 

RICE actively explores all aspects of ageing including how we might use drug treatments more safely in older people. A major focus of our clinical research is exploring the way in which people respond to treatments when they get older, including cases when memory impairment or dementia develops. Our purpose built research centre, based at The Royal United Hospital in Bath, has facilities for clinical studies, and is particularly well suited for clinical trials exploring new drug treatments for dementia and memory decline. The RICE centre is fully equipped for pharmacokinetic studies and has an experienced team of medical, nursing, psychology and research staff. The programme of clinical research is co-ordinated by Professor Roy Jones. Please see our Clinical Research section for more specific information.

Neuropsychology at RICE

Neuropsychological research at RICE focuses on cognitive changes – i.e., alterations in thinking and mental processing. More specifically, we investigate changes in attention, memory and language associated with the normal ageing process. In addition we also explore the more pronounced changes in mental processing which occur during the development and progression of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. The research aims to gain a better understanding of such changes and develop ways to help people with cognitive impairment, for example, by improving diagnostic tests for dementia. Please see the Neuropsychology Research section for information regarding our current projects.