10
Rotman Research Institute Annual Report 2015 - 2016
Dr. Rosanna Olsen
Scientist, RRI
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Toronto
Research Focus: Neuroimaging &
Aging
Seeking a biomarker of dementia
Dr. Malcolm Binns
Statistician Scientist, RRI
Assistant Professor
Dalla Lana School of Public
Health
University of Toronto
Research Focus:
Biostatistics
Dr. Bradley Buchsbaum
Scientist, RRI
Associate Professor
Department of
Psychology
University of Toronto
Research Focus: Memory
& Imaging
Scientists and the pharmaceutical
industry have spent several decades and
billions of dollars on the diagnosis and
cure of Alzheimer's disease . D espite
these efforts, there is still no reliable
predictor of the disease and few, if any,
effective drug treatments.
The development of effective dementia treatments depends on th e ability to detect brain changes associated
with early cognitive decline.
Dr. Rosanna Olsen seeks an answer to this problem by studying the brain region first affected in Alzheimer's
disease - the entorhinal cortex. Understanding this link could help iden tify individuals who are at risk of
developing dementia , or provide an earlier diagnosis, before they notice a declin e in their cognitive abilities.
Through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dr. Olsen measured the si ze of the entorhinal cortex in
40 older adults who did not have noticeable memory problems and who lived in their own homes. This study,
which was conducted in collaboration with scientists at Baycrest and the University of Toronto, marks the first
time scientists have examined this particular brain region in this population.
"Once a definitive biomarker is discovered for early dementia, researchers can better assess the impact of
potential treatments and develop personalized drug therapies targeting those specific brain regions," say s Dr.
Olsen. Discovering such a biomarker could provide an earlier diagnosis for patients and accelerate res earch
into cures for dementia. As Dr. Olsen continues to explore how the brain creates different types of memories,
she will expand her research int o investigating the role of other brain regions that are closely linked to the
medial temporal lobe in memory. Understanding the functionality within these regions could lead to the
discovery of additional dementia biomarkers.
IMAGING & INFORMATICS
