Hopewell Professor of Brain Imaging, Radiology and Clinical Neuroscience, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, and Scientific Director, Seaman Family MR Research Centre, Foothills Medical Centre, Alberta Health Services
Abstract: About 250,000 Canadian seniors suffer from a brain disorder known as vascular dementia. Over the next twenty years, this number is expected to rise to more than 650,000, primarily due to aging of our population. Vascular dementia is a complex disease that is both difficult to define and diagnose, particularly from the natural processes associated with healthy aging. Pathological changes to the small blood vessels of the brain represent a common element of this disease and, over time, these changes result in a reduction of brain function, i.e., dementia.
In
Calgary,
as
part
of
a
comprehensive
and
integrated
aging
and
dementia
research
effort,
we
have
an
active
program
developing
new
magnetic
resonance
(MR)
imaging
techniques
to
assess
small
vessel-related
changes.
We
are
active
in
proposing,
developing
and
evaluating
new
MR
based
tools
that
can
assess
the
health
of
small
vessels
and
brain
tissue,
and
provide
important
insight
into
brain
structural
and
functional
deterioration.
Our
general
approach
focuses
on
providing
structural
and
functional
quantitative
measurements
in
the
brain
for
variables
that
are
(potentially)
implicated
in
changes
due
to
early
small
vessel
disease.
The
long-term
goal
of
our
work
is
to
develop
accurate
methods
for
detecting
these
diseases
at
an
early
stage,
thus
allowing
for
steps
to
be
taken
to
avert
or
delay
brain
deterioration.
In
addition,
we
are
active
in
participating
and
coordinating
large
imaging
trials
of
normal
aging
and
of
dementia.
We
are
also
participate
in
an
international
consortium
(jointly
funded
by
CIHR
and
European
Union)
that
has
proposed
standards
for
imaging
small
vessel
diseases
(Wardlaw
JM,
et
al.,
Lancet
Neurol
2013;
12:
822)
and
analyzing
data
from
multiple
trials
of
vascular
dementia
(Dichigans
M,
et
al.,
Alzheimers
Dement
2016;
12:
1235).
At
a
forthcoming
workshop,
we
will
explore
harmonization
of
brain
imaging
methods
to
better
estimate
the
vascular
contributions
to
neurodegeneration.
These
studies
are/have
been
funded
by
a
number
of
agencies
including
the
CIHR,
NSERC,
CFI,
Alberta
Innovates-Health
Solutions,
the
Tomorrow
Project,
the
Heart
and
Stroke
Foundation
of
Canada,
the
Canadian
Stroke
Network,
the
Joint
Programme
-
Neurodegenerative
Disease
(JPND)
Research,
o
Coordenadoria
de
Aperfeiçoamento
de
Pessoal
de
Nível
Superior
(CAPES,
Brazil),
the
Hotchkiss
Brain
Institute,
and
the
Hopewell
Professorship
in
Brain
Imaging.