Detecting the risk of dementia
long before it happens
By the time an individual with dementia
reports significant memory issues, it is
often too late to change the course of the
disease.
Dr. Rosanna Olsen is studying people
who appear healthy and do not have any
memory complaints but, when tested, fall
below established dementia screening
criteria. This indicates they are very
subtly impaired.
"We are detecting that there is something
going on in these individuals that
suggests they are at risk and in future
years may develop Alzheimer's disease,"
Dr. Olsen explains.
If these brain changes prove to be a valid
and effective predictor of people who
go on to develop dementia, we could
envision a future where brain structure
is routinely examined to identify at-risk
individuals. Early identification would
allow these individuals to modify lifestyle
risk factors to potentially slow the
progression of dementia.
"When you have Alzheimer's disease, it's not the whole hippocampus that shrinks all at
once. Instead, parts of the hippocampus shrink first, and then it spreads to the rest. If we
are going to successfully diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease, we have to know which
parts of the brain are affected first and how to measure them reliably."
Dr. Rosanna Olsen
– Dr. Rosanna Olsen, scientist, Rotman Research Institute
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