Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, one of the major causes of dependency and disability in older adults. Though advances have been made in understanding the harrowing brain disease, diagnostic tests are currently limited and there are no treatments.

Now, a uOttawa Faculty of Medicine assistant professor and a team of collaborators have published new research suggesting that a novel neuroimaging technique can potentially be employed in large-scale screenings for Alzheimer’s. It can also provide possible insights about the disease’s earliest stages, long before symptoms emerge.

The findings could help steer targeted drug design down the line and perhaps pave the way for a practical, less-invasive way to screen for Alzheimer’s, which can lead to such severe cognitive decline that sufferers can lose the ability to recognize loved ones or even communicate at the most basic level.
Published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the scientists’ study suggests that use of a high-resolution imaging method called “neuromelanin-sensitive MRI” could have promise for predicting the risk of symptoms or guiding future treatment.

Dr. Clifford Cassidy, an assistant professor in the Faculty’s Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine (CMM) and a scientist at The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), is the paper’s first author. The research was conducted in collaboration with the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging as part of a large study including healthy older adults, those at risk, and those with dementia.

Their findings confirm previous data that the brain’s noradrenergic system is progressively degenerating with Alzheimer's disease. This brain system is vitally important because it may be the first area affected with Alzheimer's and its pathology is related to the disorder’s symptoms.

For instance, the researchers found strong evidence that the integrity of the noradrenergic system is related to behavioral symptoms of one of Alzheimer's most burdensome aspects: aggressive and impulsive behavior.

“These behaviors are often what lead people to going into homes and not being able to live independently anymore,” Dr. Cassidy says.

He says the study demonstrates a practical method to track pathophysiology in people with Alzheimer’s or those at risk. Previously, this was only possible using methods that could only be used on a small scale or in post-mortem studies.

“We still don't understand why some people get Alzheimer's and some don't. We don't know why some people are protected and some are vulnerable. So the question is: What makes you vulnerable?” he says.

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