Ritchie K, Carrière I, Su L, O’Brien JT, Lovestone S, Wells K, Ritchie CW.
Alzheimer’s & dementia: the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. 2017
10.1016/j.jalz.2017.02.008
Researchers analysed the results from PREVENT participants on various memory and thinking assessments. They found performance on particular spatial and navigation based tasks may be useful in differentiating between those deemed at high or low risk for later life dementia.
Read More
In this analysis, researchers were interested in the performance of PREVENT participants on a range of memory and thinking tasks in their mid-life to determine if there were any associations with increased risk of dementia in later life.
It is likely that traditional memory tests such as those used in memory clinic or in drug trials involving participants with established dementia may not be sensitive enough to identify the very earliest subtle changes in brain health. In this report the authors suggest that volunteers deemed at greater risk for dementia based on factors such as genetics and cardiovascular health, seemed to perform slightly worse on certain tasks, principally those which involved detailed spatial and navigation skills.
This initial data came from a relatively small number of the very first volunteers to enter the study. The results also come from only the first study visit and so capture only one snapshot in time. Whilst these findings alone are not enough to inform any one individual’s risk profile they do generate interesting areas to focus on when following participants throughout the duration of the study.