Older Australian Twins Study (OATS)
The OATS aimed to investigate healthy brain ageing in older twins. It followed a cohort of over 600 Australian twins aged 65 years and older, including 161 monozygotic twin pairs, 124 dizygotic twin pairs, and 1 set of monozygotic triplets. Participants were primarily recruited from the Australian Twin Registry, a national volunteer register of twin pairs and their relatives who are willing to participate in health-related research. OATS assessed participants at baseline from 2006 to 2012 and followed up in 2009 to 2013, 2012 to 2016, and 2015 to 2017.
Study design
Cohort - twin, Cohort
Number of participants at first data collection
623 (participants)
Recruitment is ongoing
Age at first data collection
≥ 65 years (participants)
Participant year of birth
Varied (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
2007
Primary Institutions
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
Links
unsw.edu.au/cheba/research-and-impact/research-projects/older-australian-twins-study-oats
neurodegenerationresearch.eu/cohort/the-older-australian-twin-study/
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Australian Research Council (ARC)
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Ongoing?
No
Data types collected
- Computer, paper or task testing (e.g. cognitive testing, theory of mind doll task, attention computer tasks)
- Interview – face-to-face
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- Self-report questionnaire – online
- Self-report questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
- Healthcare data
- Mortality data
- Social care data
Engagement
Keywords
