2024 Alzheimer's Association Research Grant to Promote Diversity (AARG-D)
AD Progression Biomarkers in Individuals with Subjective Cognitive Decline
How can specialized brain scans help identify the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s?
Zhaoyue Shi, Ph.D.
Carle Foundation Hospital
Urbana, IL - United States
Background
The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerves that connects the left and right sides of the brain. This important structure helps integrate motor, sensory, visual and cognitive processes across different brain regions. Recent research by Dr. Zhaoyue Shi and others has found problems with the corpus callosum may be related to dementia symptoms in Alzheimer’s. However, it’s not clear exactly which changes in corpus callosum function might relate to different stages of Alzheimer’s, including subjective cognitive decline (SCD, a condition involving self-reported memory complaints) or mild cognitive decline (MCD, a condition of mild memory loss that may precede dementia).
Research Plan
For the current study, Dr. Shi and colleagues will determine whether changes in corpus callosum connections in the brain might represent promising new biomarkers to help identify Alzheimer’s in its earliest stages. Dr. Shi’s team will leverage brain scan images available through the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). These brain scans, collected via functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI, can detect changes in brain blood flow. The researchers will compare fMRI brain scans between healthy people and people with SCD or MCI. They will map an individual’s brain blood flow in different brain regions that are connected to the corpus callosum. They will also compare the imaging to cognitive test results provided by the study. The researchers will then use this information to help predict Alzheimer’s progression in these individuals over a four-year period. Together, this work will help Dr. Shi and team understand which kinds of changes in corpus callosum function and connectivity are related to cognitive changes seen in SCD and MCI.
Impact
This study could provide foundational data to support the use of fMRI as a reliable, non-invasive tool to help identify early brain changes in Alzheimer’s or predict a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life. It may also identify specific changes in brain function that might serve as biomarkers for the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s.