When dementia is mentioned, the majority of individuals think of Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder that affects an individual's memory and cognitive functions. It is particularly common among elderly individuals.
Dementia impacts an individual's behavior, causing agitation, anxiety, sadness, nervousness, indifference, or even a total change in personality. Over time, these changes in behavior can become as disruptive to their lives as the decline in their cognitive and memory abilities.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have gained new insights into the brain activity of individuals showing initial symptoms of behavior changes associated with dementia.
Using two types of advanced medical imaging to study the brains of 128 people in the early stages of dementia, they show the link between a crucial brain communication network called tau and the severity of an individual's behavioral symptoms.
This extends well beyond tau's role, which scientists are already aware of in individuals with more advanced dementia: it intertwines nerve fibers in brain regions linked to thinking and memory.
Recent studies suggest that Tau undermines the stability of the brain's crucial networks. This network linking particular brain areas is essential for our capacity to respond to and comprehend events in our surroundings. It also helps in grasping and regulating our emotions and thoughts.
The study revealed that increased disruption in an individual's main network caused by tau correlates with more pronounced behavioral changes. Their findings are published in Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
While one imaging session of these 128 research participants may not prove causation, the team finds the strong link between tau, major network disruption, and behavioral changes fascinating. They suggest further studies on the possible connection in various populations and to evaluate changes over time. This will aid in comprehending the mechanisms within interconnected brain cells that create essential networks, and how these mechanisms are associated with tau build-up and changes in behavior over time.
They suggest further investigation into the potential link across various populations and studies to evaluate temporal changes. This will help understand the processes within the interconnected brain cell pathways that form the saline network and determine how this relates to tau buildup and behavioral changes over time.
They also aim to investigate if they can decelerate behavioral changes in individuals with early-stage dementia by directing mild electric currents or magnetic fields at the saline network from outside the skull, using precise imaging for guidance.
Studies are being conducted by a team of researchers from the Research Program on Cognition and Neuromodulation-Based Interventions (RP-CNBI), led by Dr. Alexandru D. Iordan and program leader Dr. Benjamin M. Hampstead. Both individuals serve as professors in the Psychiatry Department at the U-M Medical School. Further research might offer understanding and potentially predict the variations in the onset and development of behavioral changes in dementia patients.
It may also provide methods to recognize individuals whose behavioral changes are the earliest indicators of dementia risk, even before cognitive ability alterations manifest. But what excites Ioardan and his team the most? "Our discoveries offer a practical target for possible interventions," he said.
"We will soon observe whether brain stimulation alters these relationships, due to a significant study conducted by Dr. Hampstead, which assessed the impact of various doses of mild electrical currents applied to the brain." This extensive research is almost finished, and we eagerly anticipate the findings, so keep an eye out!"
(Agency)