About the study
The Cambridge City over-75s Cohort Study (CC75C) is one of the longest-running population-based studies of ageing in the world.
Established in 1985, it began with over 2,600 people aged 75 and over living in Cambridge and has followed participants over three decades to better understand health, ageing and life in very old age.
Through repeated interviews, clinical assessments, and specialist sub-studies, CC75C has generated a uniquely rich dataset that captures the lived experience, health trajectories, and care needs of the “oldest old”. This long-term approach has created an invaluable resource for researchers studying ageing, dementia and later life.
The CC75C Brain Donors Study
Alongside the main cohort, the CC75C Brain Donors Study (CC75C-BD) provides a rare and highly valuable biological resource.
Thanks to the generosity of study participants, 242 individuals donated brain tissue after death, with cerebrospinal fluid also collected from many donors. This collection is exceptionally rare because it comes from a population-representative cohort, rather than selected clinical cases.
The resource contributes to major international collaborations, including the Epidemiological Clinicopathological Studies in Europe (EClipSE), enabling large-scale, harmonised research into brain ageing and dementia.
What makes CC75C unique
- A population-based cohort followed into advanced old age
- Over 30 years of longitudinal data
- Integration of clinical, social, and biological data
- A globally rare brain donation resource linked to lifetime data
- Continued impact through ongoing research and collaborations
Key research areas
CC75C supports research across a wide range of topics, including:
- Cognitive decline and dementia
- Neuropsychology and brain ageing
- Mental health, including depression
- Social and demographic influences on ageing
- Health service use and care pathways
- Frailty, disability and physical function
- End-of-life experiences and care
- Genetics and molecular mechanisms
- Neuropathology, including Alzheimer’s and vascular disease
An enduring research legacy
Although fieldwork concluded in 2015, CC75C continues to generate new insights. Researchers are actively using its extensive datasets and biological resources to address some of the most pressing questions in ageing and dementia research.
With more than 100 publications to date and a strong history of collaboration, CC75C remains a cornerstone resource for understanding ageing in later life.
Work with us
We welcome enquiries from researchers interested in using CC75C data or collaborating on future studies.
Contact
Dr Jane Fleming
Cambridge Public Health
University of Cambridge
Email: jane.fleming@phpc.cam.ac.uk