Dutch Brain Research Registry for study participant recruitment: Design and first results

The Dutch Brain Research Registry aims to facilitate online recruitment of participants for brain disease studies.

Registrants were primarily recruited through an online social media campaign. The registration process included a short questionnaire, which was subsequently used in the prescreening process to match participants to studies.

In the first 18 months, 17,218 registrants signed up (58±11 years old, 78% female). Out of 34,696 study invitations that were sent, 36% were accepted by registrants, of which 50% to 84% were finally enrolled, resulting in 10,661 participants in 28 studies. Compared to non-participants, study participants were more often older, male, more highly educated, retired or unemployed, non-smoking, healthier, and more often had a family member with dementia.

The Dutch Brain Research Registry facilitates effective matching of participants to brain disease studies. Participant factors related to study enrollment may reflect facilitators or barriers for participation, which is useful for improving recruitment strategies.