Detecting early Alzheimer disease
Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is essential because treatments will only be effective before irreversible brain damage has occurred. Dr. Morgan Barense, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, will apply recent neuroscience discoveries to develop sensitive markers for preclinical AD.
Unlike other methods that require a lumbar puncture or exposure to radiation, her measures are non-invasive. They can therefore be administered repeatedly to asymptomatic individuals, enabling screening of more people. Barense will also provide an effective, inexpensive, non-invasive Digital Memory Augmentation device that externally mimics AD-compromised brain function. Improved early detection measures will enable the administration of this intervention at the most effective time.