Grant: Catalyst Grant: Secondary Analysis of Neuroimaging Databases

The social, economic and personal burden of Alzheimer's Disease or Related Dementias (ADRD) is steadily increasing in Canada. It is anticipated that in the coming 30 years over 1 million Canadians will be affected by ADRD with an economic burden of over 150 billion dollars. At the same time our understanding of the brain changes that lead to ADRD is increasing rapidly and interventions to slow the disease course continue to emerge. In this context, early detection of AD onset is becoming critically important. This research project will use brain imaging data to study how connections between brain regions change into older adulthood and in those individuals who progress to ADRD. The primary aim of the research is to develop measures of brain connectivity that could be used to predict the onset of ADRD at the earliest stages, potentially even before behavioural symptoms arise. By developing reliable and robust brain-based measures that portend the onset of ADRD, we aim to expand the window of intervention for persons at risk for ADRD. Early intervention can alter the progression of the disease, increase quality of life and extend functional independence for individuals, thereby reducing burdens on family, care-givers and the Canadian Health care system.