Epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment and dementia

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Tobias Luck
• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2011 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 210252278

Improving the Prediction of Dementia at the pre-stage of Mild Cognitive ImpairmentDementia is one of the most prevalent and burdensome diseases in old age. A clinically manifest dementia - particularly of the Alzheimer‘s type - is normally preceded by a period of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). With regard to a significant number of subjects with MCI who do not progress to dementia, a MCI diagnosis alone, however, is not sufficient in order to reliably predict the development of dementia. Thus, it has been recommended that the diagnosis of MCI should be combined with additional risk factors (e. g. vascular risk factors, older age) in order to define a „MCIplus concept“ (MCI plus risk factors) enabling a clinically relevant prediction of dementia. A major aim of the research fellowship is the development of such a MCIplus concept. For this purpose in a first step, aggregated data of three epidemiological studies on MCI and dementia (Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged, LEILA 75+; German Study on Ageing Cognition and Dementia in Primary Care Patients, AgeCoDe study; Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging) should be analyzed in order to identify predictors for the development of dementia. Analyses should particularly focus on the association between MCI and function, MCI and depression, and between environmental and lifestyle-associated factors and the APOE ¿4 genotype in the prediction of dementia. Results on predictors for dementia and on their associations then should be used to define the MCIplus concept. In a last step, research results should be published and, moreover, should be the basis for designing a clinical study for the evaluation of the MCIplus concept as a screening instrument for dementia.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Professor Dr. John Breitner