Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Developing dementia is one of the greatest fears of aging. Furthermore, older adults who are more vulnerable to developing dementia (i.e. with mild cognitive impairment) are also at greater risk of falling compared to their healthy counterparts. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for dementia and as such, identifying and developing effective intervention strategies is crucial. Disrupted brain networks have been highlighted as a common underlying factor associated with cognitive impairment and falls risk individually. However, research has yet to investigate these brain networks in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who also have a history of falls. This study identified a greater disruption of brain network functioning in older adults with MCI and a history of falls compared to those who either had MCI or a history of falls only. Thus, these findings identify that the combination of MCI and falls may be a significant risk profile for brain network disruptions and indicates the need to develop and assess interventions that target this deficit.