An initiative developing accessible tools for detecting dementia-related brain changes, co-led by USC professor Duke Han, received a $39 million grant in September. The funding is from the National Institute on Aging, one of the research centers within the National Institutes of Health.
The Open Measures Network Initiative for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Research and Prevention is co-led by USC, along with the Pennsylvania State University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The initiative aims to build an accessible, open-source digital platform.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s journal, “Alzheimer’s and Dementia,” 6.9 million Americans above the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease, and the number is projected to double in 2060.
This network, which plans to deliver a website with publicly available tools, seeks to establish resources to help assess cognitive ability, said Han, who has been conducting Alzheimer’s dementia research for his entire twenty-year career.
“Since there’s not a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, then really the best way to address it is early detection and prevention,” he said.
Han explained that many cognitive measures are proprietary information kept from public knowledge. He hopes that the upcoming assessment tools provided by the network can serve a purpose beyond education and contribute to Alzheimer’s disease prevention.
Compared to other research focused on the elderly, Han noted that this project also targets middle-aged people to detect possible brain changes at earlier stages.
USC Assistant Professor of Gerontology Michelle Keller researches equality in medication access and appropriate use. She pointed out that for certain medications, early diagnosis and early access to treatment can help prevent or delay cognitive decline.
“When we are allowing people to identify potential cognitive decline earlier, it means we can intervene earlier, ” she said.
Intensive lifestyle interventions can lead to lower risks of dementia. A balanced diet, regular physical exercise, cognitive training and a healthy cardiovascular condition can contribute to considerable improvements in cognitive performance, according to the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability.
But there is a disparity in access to treatment. Patients with higher levels of education and health literacy tend to be aware of the issue before others, Keller said. With public tools to assess and identify warning signs, more people will be eligible for medication.
The community focus of this initiative attracted Han to join. “It seems to be placing a strong emphasis on community engagement, community relevance. And I think there are a lot of steps that we are trying to take to involve community members in the assessment of some of these tools.” He hopes that, in addition to patients, the open-source platform will also benefit caretakers and researchers.
But this initiative should not be the sole effort, Keller explained. “Even among some primary care physicians, symptoms around forgetfulness or some cognitive issues are still kind of seen as normal. They’re still perceived as normal signs of aging.”
Other than having digitally accessible platforms, the country needs a better dementia-trained workforce and a more informed public about Alzheimer’s development. To achieve these goals, Keller stressed, there is still a long way to go.