The Three-City Study

The Three-City Study (3C Study) is a population-based longitudinal study of the relation between vascular diseases and dementia in persons aged 65 years and older. A total of 9,294 participants (3,649 men and 5,645 women) were recruited from three French cities: Bordeaux (2,104), Dijon (4,931) and Montpellier (2,259).

The principal objective is to estimate the risk of dementia (Alzheimer’s disease and other types) that may be attributed to vascular factors.

In follow up 1 and 2 (2001-2004) participants were interviewed and subjected to physical and cognitive testing. In follow up 3 (2005-2012) participants completed a postal questionnaire. The third, fourth, and fith waves of follow-up examinations started in 2006 and finished in 2012. A sixth follow-up is ongoing.

Last update – 03/02/2017

Types General population-based cohort
Participant Types No diagnosis
Countries France
Genders Male and Female
Sample sizes 5,000 to 9,999
Ages 60 to 100
Brain related measures Cognitive function|Mental health|Neurological
Funtional rating Individual psychological
Anthropometric Blood pressure|Height|Hip circumference|Waist circumference|Weight
Physical Cardiovascular|Hearing and Vision|Respiratory
Biological samples Blood
Genotyping Gene screening
Brain imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Brain banking
Lifestyle Alcohol|Dietary habits|Physical activity|Smoking
Socio-economic Education|Ethnic group|Family circumstances|Housing and accommodation|Income and finances|Marital status|Occupation and employment
Health service utilisation Formal health and social care service utilisation including private care
Institute names University of Bordeaux
Current Sample Sizes 5,000 to 9,999

age at recruitment >65
last updated
recruitment period 1999-2000
estimated current sample size number value
cohort acronym 3C study
start date 1999-2000
pi Christophe Tzourio|Jean-François Dartigues
website http://www.three-city-study.com/
contact details Christophe Tzourio, MD, PhD
Bordeaux Population Health Research Center (BPH),
Inserm U1219,
University of Bordeaux,
33076 Bordeaux France
abstract  The Three-City Study (3C Study) is a population-based longitudinal study looking at the relationship between vascular diseases and dementia. In1999 9,294 participants aged 65 years and older were recruited from Bordeaux, Dijon and Montepellier.
funders  Medical Research Foundation
Sanofi-Synthelabo company
Inserm
contact email [email protected]
contact phone number 
estimated current sample size
sample sizes 9294