The Dortmund Vital Study: Impact of Biological and Lifestyle Factors on Cognitive Performace and Work Ability

NCT05155397 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: A93-3
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 627
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of the Dortmund Vital Study is to validate previous hypotheses and to generate and validate new hypotheses about the relationship of ageing, working conditions, genetic makeup, stress, metabolic functions, cardiovascular system, immune system, and mental performance over the lifespan with a focus on healthy working adults. The Dortmund Vital Study is a multidisciplinary longitudinal study involving the Departments of Ergonomics, Immunology, Psychology and Neurosciences, and Toxicology of the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at the TU Dortmund (IfADo) in Dortmund, Germany, as well as several national and international cooperation partners.

Conditions

Age-related Cognitive Decline

Keywords

Cognitive Ageing; Occupational Health; Neuropsychology; Metabolism; Cardiovascular System; Behavioral Genetics; Immunology; EEG; MRI; psychoneuroendocrinology; Infectious diseases; Cognitive Neuroscience

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (13)

• Change in performance on global cognitive composite score assessed by neuropsychological tests

  Change in performance on global cognitive composite score based on measures from neuropsychological tests: Digit-Span forward and backward, semantic memory in written and spoken versions (Word-Fluency), selective attention and attentional endurance (D2-R), crystallized intelligence (Multiple Choice Vocabulary Test), general cognitive status (Mini-Mental-State-Examination; MMSE), different aspects of verbal memory like learning performance and retrieval (Verbal Learning and Memory Tests; VLMT), psychomotor performance and speed of processing (Digit-Symbol-Test), interference control and inhibition (Stroop Test), task switching (Trail-Making-Test; TMT-A and TMT-B), two subtests from the performance testing system measuring logical reasoning and spatial rotation, and fluid intelligence assessed by Raven's Progressive Matrices.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in attentional performance and perceptual control as assessed by a computerized Bar Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in attentional performance and perceptual control assessed by the Bar Task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in vigilance control as assessed by a computerized Psychomotor Vigilance Test

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in a Psychomotor Vigilance Test.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in stimulus-response compatibility and conflict processing assessed by the computerized Simon Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the Simon task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in updating and strategy learning assessed by the computerized AX-CPT Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the AX-CPT task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in speech understanding and auditory distractibility assessed by computerized Speech-In-Noise perception task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the Speech-in-noise perception task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in working memory assessed by the computerized N-back Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the N-back task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in cue and memory-based task switching assessed by the computerized Task Switching Paradigm

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the cue- and memory based task switching.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in auditive attention and distractibility assessed by the computerized Auditory Distraction Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the Auditory Distraction Task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in susceptibility to interference and the capacity to inhibit irrelevant stimuli assessed by the computerized Stroop Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the Stroop Task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in inhibitory control of prepotent responses assessed by the computerized Go/NoGo Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the Go/NoGo Task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in spatial selective attention assessed by the computerized Visual Search Task

  Changes in behavioral (speed and accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data in the Visual Search Task.

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in Work Ability Index

  Change in work ability assessed by Work Ability Index (WAI). WAI assess physical and psychological risks to avoid work-related disabilities and early retirement. The index is determined by the employees' answers related to work demands, individual health status and physical and psychological capacities. The total score of WAI is calculated by summing up scores of seven dimensions. The work ability ranged between 7 (insufficient) and 49 points (best work ability).

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

Secondary Outcomes (27)

• Change in resting state EEG activity

  baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in brain function MRI

  5, 10, 15 years

• Change in brain structure MRI

  5, 10, 15 years

• Change in Depressive Symptoms

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in Burnout Symptoms

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

Other Outcomes (12)

• Genetic parameters (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms; SNP)

  Baseline

• Change in visual acuity

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

• Change in auditory acuity

  Baseline and 5, 10, 15 years

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy individuals from the general population.

You may qualify if:

• Blood thinners
• Hormones
• Antihypertensives
• Cholesterol reducers
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
• Sufficient language skills

You may not qualify if:

• Dementia
• Parkinsonism
• Stroke
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Bleeding tendency
• Oncological diseases
• Schizophrenia
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Anxiety disorders
• Severe depression
• Head injuries
• Head surgery
• Head implants
• Eye diseases (cataract, glaucoma, blindness)
• Accidents that limit physical fitness and mobility

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Technical University of Dortmund: lead

Study Sites (1)

Technical University of Dortmund, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors

Dortmund, 44139, Germany

Location

Related Publications (28)

• Gajewski PD, Getzmann S, Brode P, Burke M, Cadenas C, Capellino S, Claus M, Genc E, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Kleinsorge T, Marchan R, Nitsche MA, Reinders J, van Thriel C, Watzl C, Wascher E. Impact of Biological and Lifestyle Factors on Cognitive Aging and Work Ability in the Dortmund Vital Study: Protocol of an Interdisciplinary, Cross-sectional, and Longitudinal Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2022 Mar 14;11(3):e32352. doi: 10.2196/32352.

  PMID: 35285810 BACKGROUND

• Kleinert T, Nash K, Koenig T, Wascher E. Correction: Normative Intercorrelations between EEG Microstate Characteristics. Brain Topogr. 2024 Mar;37(2):270. doi: 10.1007/s10548-023-01012-4. No abstract available.

  PMID: 37861818 RESULT

• Kleinert T, Nash K, Koenig T, Wascher E. Normative Intercorrelations Between EEG Microstate Characteristics. Brain Topogr. 2024 Mar;37(2):265-269. doi: 10.1007/s10548-023-00988-3. Epub 2023 Jul 14.

  PMID: 37450085 RESULT

• Kleinert T, Koenig T, Nash K, Wascher E. On the Reliability of the EEG Microstate Approach. Brain Topogr. 2024 Mar;37(2):271-286. doi: 10.1007/s10548-023-00982-9. Epub 2023 Jul 6.

  PMID: 37410275 RESULT

• Getzmann S, Arnau S, Gajewski PD, Wascher E. Auditory distraction, time perception, and the role of age: ERP evidence from a large cohort study. Neurobiol Aging. 2024 Dec;144:114-126. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.09.012. Epub 2024 Sep 20.

  PMID: 39316947 RESULT

• Getzmann S, Gajewski PD, Schneider D, Wascher E. Resting-state EEG data before and after cognitive activity across the adult lifespan and a 5-year follow-up. Sci Data. 2024 Sep 10;11(1):988. doi: 10.1038/s41597-024-03797-w.

  PMID: 39256413 RESULT

• Mundorf A, Getzmann S, Gajewski PD, Larra MF, Wascher E, Genc E, Ocklenburg S. Phenotyping in clinical laterality research: a comparison of commonly used methods to determine mixed-handedness and ambidexterity. Laterality. 2024 May;29(3):331-349. doi: 10.1080/1357650X.2024.2370871. Epub 2024 Jul 5.

  PMID: 38968414 RESULT

• Larra MF, Gajewski PD, Getzmann S, Wascher E, Metzler Y. Stress from early life to adulthood: Is there a protective role of cognitive control? Brain Cogn. 2024 Aug;178:106165. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106165. Epub 2024 May 16.

  PMID: 38759431 RESULT

• Getzmann S, Golka K, Brode P, Reinders J, Kadhum T, Hengstler JG, Wascher E, Gajewski PD. Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection Modulates Hearing Ability across the Adult Life Span. Life (Basel). 2024 Jan 29;14(2):194. doi: 10.3390/life14020194.

  PMID: 38398703 RESULT

• Brode P, Claus M, Gajewski PD, Getzmann S, Wascher E, Watzl C. From Immunosenescence to Aging Types-Establishing Reference Intervals for Immune Age Biomarkers by Centile Estimation. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 24;24(17):13186. doi: 10.3390/ijms241713186.

  PMID: 37685992 RESULT

• Gajewski PD, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Kadhum T, Digutsch J, Genc E, Wascher E, Getzmann S. Does physical fitness affect cognitive functions differently across adulthood? An advantage of being older. Front Psychol. 2023 Jun 16;14:1134770. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134770. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37397318 RESULT

• Rieker JA, Gajewski PD, Reales JM, Ballesteros S, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Wascher E, Getzmann S. The impact of physical fitness, social life, and cognitive functions on work ability in middle-aged and older adults. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2023 May;96(4):507-520. doi: 10.1007/s00420-022-01943-8. Epub 2022 Dec 16.

  PMID: 36525080 RESULT

• Akan O, Bierbrauer A, Kunz L, Gajewski PD, Getzmann S, Hengstler JG, Wascher E, Axmacher N, Wolf OT. Chronic stress is associated with specific path integration deficits. Behav Brain Res. 2023 Mar 28;442:114305. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114305. Epub 2023 Jan 20.

  PMID: 36682499 RESULT

• Getzmann S, Arnau S, Gajewski PD, Wascher E. When long appears short: Effects of auditory distraction on event-related potential correlates of time perception. Eur J Neurosci. 2022 Jan;55(1):121-137. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15553. Epub 2021 Dec 14.

  PMID: 34859527 RESULT

• Getzmann S, Schneider D, Wascher E. Selective spatial attention in lateralized multi-talker speech perception: EEG correlates and the role of age. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Jun;126:1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.02.003. Epub 2023 Feb 14.

  PMID: 36881943 RESULT

• Wascher E, Sharifian F, Gutberlet M, Schneider D, Getzmann S, Arnau S. Mental chronometry in big noisy data. PLoS One. 2022 Jun 8;17(6):e0268916. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268916. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35675345 RESULT

• Sharifian F, Schneider D, Arnau S, Wascher E. Decoding of cognitive processes involved in the continuous performance task. Int J Psychophysiol. 2021 Sep;167:57-68. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.06.012. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

  PMID: 34216693 RESULT

• Getzmann S, Digutsch J, Kleinsorge T. COVID-19 Pandemic and Personality: Agreeable People Are More Stressed by the Feeling of Missing. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 13;18(20):10759. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010759.

  PMID: 34682500 RESULT

• Metzen D, Genc E, Getzmann S, Larra MF, Wascher E, Ocklenburg S. Frontal and parietal EEG alpha asymmetry: a large-scale investigation of short-term reliability on distinct EEG systems. Brain Struct Funct. 2022 Mar;227(2):725-740. doi: 10.1007/s00429-021-02399-1. Epub 2021 Oct 21.

  PMID: 34676455 RESULT

• Bierbrauer A, Kunz L, Gomes CA, Luhmann M, Deuker L, Getzmann S, Wascher E, Gajewski PD, Hengstler JG, Fernandez-Alvarez M, Atienza M, Cammisuli DM, Bonatti F, Pruneti C, Percesepe A, Bellaali Y, Hanseeuw B, Strange BA, Cantero JL, Axmacher N. Unmasking selective path integration deficits in Alzheimer's disease risk carriers. Sci Adv. 2020 Aug 28;6(35):eaba1394. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba1394. eCollection 2020 Aug.

  PMID: 32923622 RESULT

• Gajewski PD, Hanisch E, Falkenstein M, Thones S, Wascher E. What Does the n-Back Task Measure as We Get Older? Relations Between Working-Memory Measures and Other Cognitive Functions Across the Lifespan. Front Psychol. 2018 Nov 26;9:2208. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02208. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 30534095 RESULT

• Brode P, Claus M, Gajewski PD, Getzmann S, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Wascher E, Watzl C. Calibrating a Comprehensive Immune Age Metric to Analyze the Cross Sectional Age-Related Decline in Cardiorespiratory Fitness. Biology (Basel). 2022 Oct 27;11(11):1576. doi: 10.3390/biology11111576.

  PMID: 36358277 RESULT

• Mundorf A, Getzmann S, Gajewski PD, Larra MF, Wascher E, Ocklenburg S. Stress exposure, hand preference, and hand skill: A deep phenotyping approach. Laterality. 2023 Mar-May;28(2-3):209-237. doi: 10.1080/1357650X.2023.2204551. Epub 2023 Apr 26.

  PMID: 37099727 RESULT

• Gajewski PD, Rieker JA, Athanassiou G, Brode P, Claus M, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Kleinsorge T, Nitsche MA, Reinders J, Tisch A, Watzl C, Wascher E, Getzmann S. A Systematic Analysis of Biological, Sociodemographic, Psychosocial, and Lifestyle Factors Contributing to Work Ability Across the Working Life Span: Cross-sectional Study. JMIR Form Res. 2023 May 19;7:e40818. doi: 10.2196/40818.

  PMID: 37204831 RESULT

• Brode P, Claus M, Getzmann S, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Reinders J, Wascher E, Watzl C, Gajewski PD. Latent Toxoplasma gondii Infection Does Not Modulate Immune Aging in a Cross-Sectional Working-Age Population Study. Biomolecules. 2025 Dec 30;16(1):55. doi: 10.3390/biom16010055.

  PMID: 41594595 DERIVED

• Engler R, Stammen C, Arnau S, Schneider Penate J, Metzen D, Digutsch J, Gajewski PD, Getzmann S, Fraenz C, Reinders J, Voelkle MC, Streit F, Ocklenburg S, Schneider D, Burke M, Hengstler JG, Watzl C, Nitsche MA, Kumsta R, Wascher E, Genc E. Electrophysiological resting-state signatures link polygenic scores to general intelligence. Sci Rep. 2025 Nov 21;15(1):41170. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-26778-4.

  PMID: 41272243 DERIVED

• Gajewski PD, Brode P, Claus M, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Reinders J, Watzl C, Wascher E, Getzmann S. Changes of cognitive functions and proinflammatory cytokines across the lifespan in latent Toxoplasma gondii infection. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2025 Sep 15;49:101105. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101105. eCollection 2025 Nov.

  PMID: 41018675 DERIVED

• Gajewski PD, Brode P, Claus M, Golka K, Hengstler JG, Watzl C, Wascher E, Getzmann S. The association between hair cortisol and burnout is moderated by age, psychosocial, and immunological markers. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2024 Nov 23;43:100909. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100909. eCollection 2025 Feb.

  PMID: 39717874 DERIVED

Related Links

• This is the oficial site of the Dortmund Vital Study

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Peripheral venous blood, serum, urine, hair samples

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Communicable Diseases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Infections; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Edmund Wascher, PhD

  Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at the TU Dortmund (IfADo)

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 16, 2021
• First Posted: December 13, 2021
• Study Start: April 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2035
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2037
• Last Updated: December 3, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: After primary analyses and publication of the main results.
• Access Criteria: In order to access the data, scientists from IfADo, as well as external cooperation partners who plan to analyze data from the Dortmund Vital Study fill in a proposal form that includes a short description of the project and the respective hypotheses, the responsible persons, cooperation partners, data usage and analysis strategy. The requested research data will be made available in an anonymized form after consultation with the scientists responsible for the data. Responsible persons include project managers and coordinators of the Dortmund Vital Study in consultation with the IfADo Research Data Management Unit.

Locations

DE (1)