Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Alzheimer's disease is a severe neurodegenerative disease affecting about 50 million people worldwide. The economic burden of dementia was reported to be about $10.4 billion in Canada. It is characterised at early stages by trouble in remembering recent events, and as it progresses patient will experience more severe symptoms such as behavioral and language problems. Alzheimer's disease is linked with numerous pathological changes in the brain including reduction in the volume of brain cortex. Although many studies have been done on this disorder, the underlying pathophysiology is still unknown. A large number of studies have shown the connection between inflammation in the brain and risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, so far, no study has investigated if inflammation in the patients affects brain volume loss in this population. Positron emission tomography (PET) enables us to see and track inflammation in the living human brain. In this study, we used an advanced high resolution PET scanner and a novel PET tracer to track inflammation in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. We also used MRI to measure the regional brain volumes and thickness of brain cortex. We aimed to study if people with higher inflammation in their brain have smaller brain volume and thinner brain cortex. Our findings, for the first time, show that higher brain inflammation in patients is associated with thinner brain cortex. There is an increasing recognition that early identification and intervention is critical for better outcomes in Alzheimer's disease. The findings of the current study help us understand the underlying pathology of this disorder and help in developing new medicines for the management of this mental disorder.