Functional MRI in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Project Outlines and Aims

Our team of researchers has been focusing on identifying the early markers of dementia before the full clinical picture emerges. To this end we have recently begun using a specialised MRI technique to image brain activity called functional MRI.

We have developed a functional MRI ‘stress test’ which we hope will be able to identify abnormal patterns of brain activity in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment and may be used to predict which individuals will progress to dementia in future years. Combining functional MRI with advanced brain modelling techniques, we will also investigate whether the ageing brain retains some degree of neural plasticity and may be able to generate compensatory brain activity in the face of early disease processes.

Participants in the Memory and Ageing Study may opt to have a functional MRI. This involves training on specially designed memory tasks that will be administered to individuals during an MRI scan of the brain. The tasks aim to ‘challenge’ the brain akin to a physical ‘stress test’ and the resulting changes in brain activity are analysed.

We hope to include 60 participants from the Memory and Ageing Study, including those with memory problems as well as those without.

"Activation" in the brain of a research participant with increasing memory challenge

Mr Dick White from the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund presenting a research grant plaque to Ms Nicole Kochan, Dr Melissa Slavin, and A/Prof Michael Breakspear

Staff

Investigators

Ms Nicole Kochan
Dr Melissa Slavin
A/Prof Michael Breakspear (Black Dog Institute)
Dr Michael Valenzuela
Prof Perminder Sachdev