Non-Alzheimer dementia: pathogenesis and clinicopathological correlations

Funded Activity Summary

Dementia affects as many as 20% of people in their eighties. Although much of this is caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD), other types of dementia are also important. In this study we will look at two types of non-Alzheimer dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and small vessel cerebrovascular disease (SVD). The clinical symptoms of SVD closely resemble AD. Conversely, FTD results in degeneration of those parts of the brain which are responsible for personality, behaviour and language. We will look at the brains of patients who have died with these diseases and determine the types of neurons which are damaged and their distribution in the brain. We will also investigate whether an individual's genetic make-up influences the development of SVD. In addition, in collaboration with neuropathologists across Australia, we will develop and standardise criteria for the pathological diagnosis of these diseases. Overall, this study will better characterise the pathology of two commonly encountered non-AD dementias and provide valuable insights into their causes.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2003

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $437,036.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Neurology And Neuromuscular Diseases

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

cerebrovascular disease | dementia | diagnostic criteria | frontotemporal dementia | neurodegenerative diseases | neuropathology | pathogenesis | vascular dementia

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