CURE MAGA JAN26 DOUBLE PG-LINKS - Flipbook - Page 13
that cause dementia. And that could
be crucial in shaping future
approaches to treatment.”
The PROTECT study: thousands
of lives, decades of data
Dr Hiscox is also working with
volunteers from the PROTECT study
– a long-term study that’s been
following thousands of people
since 2014. Researchers want to
find out more about how the brain
ages and how we might reduce the
risk of dementia in later life. Some
volunteers on the project are now
in their 50s and 60s, and some
carry a higher genetic risk of
Alzheimer’s. That means their
brains may already be showing
the very earliest signs of disease,
even before symptoms appear.
She’ll then compare those results
with information about their blood
pressure, cholesterol, and other
health markers.
The place our memories are stored
One of Dr Hiscox’s main targets is
the brain’s memory centre – the
hippocampus – as it is one of the
first regions affected by Alzheimer’s.
Using artificial intelligence, she will
map subtle changes in this vital area
and see how they connect to blood
vessel health and dementia risk.
And she’ll look for important
biological clues – like the proteins
amyloid and tau – and see how
they interact with blood vessels
and brain elasticity.
Why this research matters
This cutting-edge study shows how
wide-ranging our understanding
of dementia now is. Scientists like
Dr Hiscox aren’t just studying the
classic hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, but
also the hidden features that could
open new doors to treatment.
“It could help us identify people
most at risk earlier than ever,” says
Dr Hiscox. “If we can understand
how brain elasticity is lost – and
why – we could design treatments
that protect our brains for longer.
And we could help to slow or even
delay the progression of dementia.”
THIS RESEARCH IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOU.
By helping us to fund these ambitious projects, you are driving
discoveries that wouldn’t exist otherwise. Because helping the brain
keep its bounce could hold one of the big answers in dementia
research. And it could open up many new ways in which we can treat
– and protect – people from the condition.
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