Early detection of later dementia : Cognitive, demographic, and biological markers

• In most societies, there is an increasing proportion of old and very old in the population. This is a positive development in the sense that it reflects societal and medical accomplishments. However, it also means that a growing number of people will experience age-related problems like cognitive decline and dementia, and thereby a diminished quality of life. Intense research is currently being conducted in many laboratories in the world in order to identify early those persons who later will undergo a cognitive decline or develop dementia. By early detection of these individuals, various treatments might be more efficient than presently, when treatments are given much later at the time of diagnosis of cognitive decline or dementia. The present address will provide a list of early markers that have the potential of discovering those individuals already in middle age, who later will be experiencing these age-related problems. These markers differ in nature; they are cognitive, biological or demographic. A great challenge in contemporary research is to understand how these markers can serve as individual risk factors or as interactive risk factors. Empirical data on early cognitive performance, overweight in middle age, certain genes, beta-amyloid, and metabolites will be presented and discussed as to how they can serve as predictors (each factor separately or in interactions with other factors) for cognitive decline and dementia in late life.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

early detection

dementia

cognitive markers

demographic markers

biological markers

Psychology

Psykologi

Psychology

psykologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

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