The PREVENT Dementia Programme has a number of publications which have been published across a range of peer reviewed journals and can be accessed through the links in the categories below.
Human Brain Mapping (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26798
Summary
In this study we investigated if subtle changes on MRI scans were associated with a risk gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Apolipoprotein e4 (APOE4) gene, can be detected by analysing the texture of brain images. One of the most well established changes in people in the early stages of dementia is that they have lower brain volumes in some brain areas such as the hippocampus. This is typically detected using structural MRI scans. However, changes on the MRI scan might be very subtle in early stages of the disease and the analysis of brain volumes might not capture them.
Therefore this study analysed the texture of structural MRI scans in both the PREVENT and the ALFA studies. Data from 1585 participants from these studies was analysed (mean age of 56 years). There were no textural or volumetric differences found in this middle-aged cohort between carriers and non-carriers of the APOE4 gene. These results suggest that structural changes in people at higher risk of dementia based on the APOE4 gene cannot be detected at this stage with simple volume analysis or even with more advanced computational methods.
Qi Q, Deng F, Sammon R, Ritchie K, Muniz-Terrera G, Koychev I, Hutchinson S, Robinson D, Malhotra P. O’Brien J, Ritchie CW, Lawlor B, Naci, L.
Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-024-01610-9
Summary
Building cognitive reserve through stimulating activities and occupational attainment represents a crucial yet under-explored approach to dementia prevention in mid-life. However, it remains unclear whether modifiable lifestyle factors can protect against Alzheimer’s disease (AD) processes from mid-life, differentially for females and males who carry inherited risk for late-life dementia.
This study found that engagement in stimulating activities was positively associated with episodic and relational memory, regardless of sex and APOE4 genetic status. Notably, among APOE4 carriers, this study found significant sex differences in the association between occupational attainment and episodic and relational memory: APOE4 carrier females with higher occupational attainment showed better cognition, whereas APOE4 carrier males showed the opposite effect.
These findings indicate that occupational attainment in mid-life may enhance cognitive reserve against inherited dementia risk in females but not in males. They underscore the necessity for high-precision approaches that account for biological sex and APOE4 carrier status to better inform AD prevention strategies and clinical trials.
Craig W Ritchie, Katie Bridgeman, Sarah Gregory, John T O’Brien, Samuel O Danso, Maria-Eleni Dounavi, Isabelle Carriere, David Driscoll, Robert Hillary, Ivan Koychev, Brian Lawlor, Lorina Naci, Li Su, Audrey Low, Elijah Mak, Paresh Malhotra, Jean Manson, Riccardo Marioni, Lee Murphy, Georgios Ntailianis, William Stewart, Graciela Muniz-Terrera, Karen Ritchie
Brain Communications (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.07.020
Summary
The PREVENT cohort offers a novel dataset to explore midlife risk factors and early signs of neurodegenerative disease. The cohort includes 700 participants recruited across five sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland (Cambridge, Dublin, Edinburgh, London and Oxford). At baseline, participants had a mean age of 51.2 years, with the majority female (n=433, 61.9%). There was a near equal distribution of participants with and without a parental history of dementia (51.4% vs 48.6%) and a relatively high prevalence of APOEɛ4 carriers (n=264, 38.0%). Participants were highly educated (16.7 ± 3.44 years of education), and mainly of European Ancestry (n=672, 95.9%). This paper provides an overview of the study protocol and presents the first summary results from the initial baseline data to describe the cohort.