Page 42 - MaquetaFundCIEN-2019-ENG

42
Annual Report 2019
main feature of neurodegenerative diseases since they affect both the biological aspect as well as the clinical and personal level. Thus, the psychological and so- cial aspects involved in dementia need to be taken into account and be aware that ethical and legal issues such as the right to information and participation in medical decisions are increasingly gaining prominence every day.
3.2.
Department Structure
The scientific activity of UIPA is structured around four complementary research areas:
• Department of Neurology
• Department of Neuropsychology
• Department of Neuroimaging
• Department of Neuropathology
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
From the clinical perspective, the UIPA counts with personnel from the Depart- ments of Neurology and Neuropsychology, who are in daily contact with patients who come to the Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center (CAFRS, for its acro- nym in Spanish) and with the staff at the healthcare Residence, as well as with the cohort of volunteers from the Vallecas Project (see section 4), playing a role of mediation between basic researchers, relatives and caregivers. This role is critical in making patients, relatives and caregivers aware of the research purpose of the UIPA, give consent and collaborate with the research projects. One of the research activities of these departments consists in carrying out a clinical, syndromic and etiological diagnosis of the patients from the CAFRS, either in the resident regime (Units of Life) or in daycare (Day Center). In addition, a set of clinical data is ob- tained that will be very useful for the other UIPA scientific areas studies.
Patients with dementia require specific attention, consisting of an accurate and early diagnosis, an assessment of the affected cognitive areas and its severi- ty, as well as applying and monitoring the treatment. It is essential that various medical disciplines be involved, due to the need to follow the progression, the specific treatment, the overseeing of complications, the application of measures to neutralize them, and the corresponding practice of social health resources. Hence, UIPA responds to a translational vocation to investigate the progression of clinical knowledge in dementias. It is established as an intermediary between