Baycrest

Investigating low-level laser therapy for brain health Dr. Jean Chen has been named the Canada Research Chair in Neuroimaging of Aging for a second consecutive term. In her second term, Dr. Chen aims to deliver non-invasive, personalized interventions to improve brain health. Dr. Chen is investigating low-level laser therapy, where an infrared laser travels through the skull to improve blood flow in the brain. This has been shown to enhance brain activity. At present, many brain health therapies require the client to travel to a clinic or hospital on a regular basis. In contrast, low-level laser therapy could easily be adopted and used at home. This would increase the accessibility of brain health treatments to benefit more older adults, including those living with depression, dementia, and other neurological conditions. "Through my research, I hope to give older adults access to easy, non-invasive tools they can use regularly to maintain and improve their brain health," says Dr. Chen, who is a Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute (RRI). "I really see this as the way of the future." This work reflects the RRI's leading role in predictive neuroscience for precision aging. Dr. Chen's research is supported, in part, by the Linda Judith Reed Foundation. Identifying and mitigating environmental triggers of behavioural symptoms of dementia Besides cognitive symptoms, people living with dementia may also show responsive behaviours – that is, behavioural symptoms, such as agitation and aggression, that they may use as a way of responding to something negative, frustrating, or confusing in their social or physical environment. As such, there is a need for educational tools that help healthcare workers, students, and caregivers identify and modify environmental factors that can contribute to these responsive behaviours. To address this need, Baycrest educators developed the Virtual Trigger Room, an online, augmented reality tool presenting a 360° self-guided tour through the living space of a person living with dementia. Participants identify potential triggers for responsive behaviours as they navigate between the sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom in this simulated person's home. Once identified, participants then select appropriate mitigation strategies for each trigger. This proof-of-concept study was found to be a feasible educational activity that enhanced learning, increased awareness of environmental triggers, and could be helpful in clinical practice. Readers can try the activity at the following URL: baycrest.org/ TriggerRoom This project was supported by a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Academic Health Science Centre Alternate Funding Plan Innovation Fund. Dementia Treatment and Care 2022–2023 ANNUAL REPORT 13

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