Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

As medical researchers, we strive to find means for improvements in the areas of health and quality of life as well as eradication of illnesses. Proof of our success is that the world population is living longer. In Canada, the population of people 65 years of age and older is now larger than the number of children under 15. Unfortunately, alongside aging comes higher chances of developing neurodegenerative diseases. Language studies are crucial in the field of neurodegeneration, since the ability to communicate is essential for participation in every aspect of life. My research focuses on cognitive decline in individuals with neurodegenerative conditions, particularly related to language and memory. To date, my analyses have demonstrated features of the relationship between language deficits and autobiographical memory decline in populations with dementia. My goal is to further extend these analyses in order to reveal aspects of the intrinsic relationship between cognitive functions with the purpose of creating improved methods for early diagnosis and ultimately inform therapy methods for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.