WEBINAR |Discussion of current risk reduction, early diagnostic & prevention strategies for dementia

Part 1 | Evidence-based dementia risk assessment to inform risk reduction advice

There is now strong evidence for specific lifestyle, medical and socio-demographic risk factors for dementia. Reducing risk factors may delay cognitive decline, both in the healthy population and in those who already have some mild cognitive impairment. Prof Kaarin Anstey’s presentation will outline the modifiable risk factors which are common in Australia.

Available tools that assess risk factors and which have been rigorously evaluated will be described, focussing on the CogDrisk which is the most recent and up to date tool. Considerations for assessing risk factors in different populations will also be discussed.

Webinar Objectives:

1. Provide a brief summary of evidence for modifiable risk factors for dementia.

2. Describe available risk assessment tools.

3. Discuss practical considerations for assessing risk factors and giving risk reduction advice.

Part 2 | Early diagnosis and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease

In the last decade there have been major advances in both early diagnosis and the importance of prevention for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). PET-amyloid imaging has enabled a definite diagnosis of AD premortem. The Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle studying of Ageing (AIBL) has played a leading role in preclinical diagnosis of AD, demonstrating that brain pathology develops decades before the onset of symptoms. Recently blood-based biomarker candidates have been shown to accurately reflect brain pathology opening the way for the development of a cost effective and easily accessible blood test for AD. The identification of lifestyle protective factors together with early diagnosis hold promise for early intervention clinical trials for the prevention of dementia.

Webinar Objectives:

1. Importance of early diagnosis for effective treatment of AD.

2. Significance of anti-amyloid therapy.

3. Importance of developing blood-based biomarkers for early diagnosis and response to therapy.

4. Importance of lifestyle factors for the prevention of AD.

Websites/resources provided in this Webinar:

https://www.australiandementianetwork... - The Australian Dementia Network Website
https://www.australiandementianetwork... - ADNeT Neuropsychological Norming Tool (Registration Form)
https://www.bit.ly/adnetguidelines - The Australian Dementia Network’s National Memory and Cognition Clinic Guidelines
https://www.australiandementianetwork... - Find a Memory Clinic or Cognitive Decline Assessment Service
https://cogdrisk.neura.edu.au/ - Cognitive Health and Dementia Risk Assessment (CogDRisk)

Webinar Chairs
Chair: Prof Sharon Naismith
Co-Chair: Dr Johannes Michaelian

Webinar chapters:
00:00 Introduction
04:28 Prof Kaarin Anstey’s Presentation
23:50 Prof Ralph Martin’s Presentation
42:55 Q&A