Page 95 - Annual Report 2018

5. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

diffusion (DWI), functional (resting state provide immediate motivation to control
magnetic resonance) and perfusion studies modifiable risk factors for dementia (for
(ASL) have been performed in approximately example, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol
1,000 volunteers. The first goal of this proposal is intake, reduce cholesterol, etc.).
to examine MRI in healthy elderly individuals In addition, in the hopeful situation that new
who can predict the subsequent development treatments for dementia will be available soon,
of MCI. A first analysis of whole brain gray it is most likely to increase therapeutic efficacy if
matter density (GMD) in these "converters" in this treatment is started as soon as possible in
relation to a matched control group selected the neurodegenerative process. Therefore, if we
from the entire cohort - on visit 1 (when both manage to identify people at risk of dementia
groups are healthy) - has already shown while they are in the preclinical asymptomatic
fascinating specific differences in the entorhinal state, treatment could begin at this stage.
cortex. The same type of analysis will now be Moreover, the same approach we developed
extended to measures of white matter integrity, to classify biomarkers for AD in our longitudinal
perfusion and functional resting networks to study could be applied to similar studies
provide a complete picture of the brain investigating other dementias.
abnormalities present before MCI onset.
While the first analyses show differences
between groups in the MR data, this proposal
aims to develop a method that - for a given
healthy individual - provides predictive value as
to whether that person will subsequently
develop MCI. For this, demographic,
neuropsychological, biochemical and genetic
data are used in our analyses, in addition to MR
data of all the sequences described above. A
machine learning approach is being followed to
generate a statistical algorithm to determine
the probability of a healthy individual
converting to MCI in a given period of time. In
addition, some volunteers are expected to
move from MCI to AD, thus providing a measure
of whether these biomarkers could be extended
to predict the developed AD from a healthy
state.
The determination of brain imaging biomarkers
that in healthy people predict the development
of MCI will have a significant impact on the field
of dementia. Data acquired on a relatively
routine basis can give an individual a risk index
for the future development of MCI that will

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