Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

As the Canadian demographic shifts towards more elderly individuals, the Canadian health care system and personal support systems should anticipate supplying additional resources towards the prevention, prediction and intervention of age-related cognitive decline, and of diseases associated with old age, such as Alzheimer's disease. Research shows that short-term fluctuations within a person, in blood pressure, brain activity and cognitive performance, shows promise for anticipating those at risk of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, as well as how those individuals are likely to change over time. The Prevent Study at the University of Victoria is already examining how standard tests of memory, problem solving and language abilities, genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors, and proteins in the blood can be combined together to assess an individual's current well-being, and to anticipate their likelihood of developing Alzheimer's. This research proposal suggests examining variability in blood pressure, reaction time, and brain activity simultaneously in those with diagnosed Alzheimer's, probable Alzheimer's and healthy individuals. The prediction is that there will be decreased short-term fluctuations in brain activity, and increased short-term fluctuations in blood pressure and reaction time in those at risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to those who are not at risk. These short-term fluctuations in brain activity, behaviour and blood pressure could be used as one of the earliest indicators, and could help identify individuals at risk in time to maximize intervention efforts.