Douglas Scharre, MD

About

Biography

I have conducted more than 250 cognitive and dementia related multi-center and investigator-initiated clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by foundations, and by the industry in my career of more than 30 years. These studies have utilized neuroimaging, serum and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, cognitive biomarkers, genetic biomarkers, and cognitive, functional and behavioral scales on mild cognitive impairment, dementia and control subjects. The data from these research subjects who participated in studies at our Ohio State University Memory Disorders Research Center have contributed to over 5,000 research publications.

I am a contributing member of several national research and NIH-supported consortiums including the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) group. I have participated in all the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) projects, and I am a member of the steering committee for ADNI. My research center is also designated as one of the funded Lewy Body Dementia Association Research Centers of Excellence, where he currently serves on the clinical management best practices committee.

I have designed and developed both paper and digital versions of the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE), a cognitive assessment instrument designed for identifying individuals in a practical way with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia from any cause and to be sensitive to changes over time. Comprehensive validation was published in 2010 and it was revalidated in a separate European cohort in 2025. Normative data from a community sample of more than 1,000 individuals was published in 2014. Validation of a tablet-based electronic SAGE (BrainTest) was published in 2017. Longitudinal cohort testing for detection of dementia conversion was published in 2021. Declining SAGE scores of 2-3 points indicated a high risk for eventual dementia and this was noted at least six months earlier than changes in the Mini Mental State Examination. Its use in primary care visits was published in 2024. SAGE is available free online for clinical use (www.sage.osu.edu), and BrainTest is available through EPIC for health care systems and online for individual use (https://braintest.com). SAGE has been downloaded over 4 million times.

One current project is my NIH R01 grant exploring the integration of eSAGE (BrainTest) with electronic medical record data using machine learning for the early detection and monitoring of cognitive impairment in individuals including those underserved. Ongoing studies also include therapeutic trials for those with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease, behavioral disturbances with dementia, and those at risk for dementia conditions, utilizing medications, gene therapies and devices.

I have studies involved with biofluid banking, genetic testing, and testing for new fluid, imaging and cognitive biomarkers. My future research goals include investigating best practices to collaborate with patients, families and primary care providers to speed up the time from first cognitive complaint to identification of a cognitive issue, diagnosis and then appropriate treatments.

Credentials

Research

News and media

My news coverage

• Using self-administered cognitive test in primary care offices increased early diagnosis of cognitive disorders by six times
• Self-administered cognition test predicts early signs of dementia sooner
• MedTips: April Awards and Announcements
• Ohio State Study Of Brain Pacemaker Shows Promise In Slowing Decline Of Alzheimer's