皇家华人

According to the World Health Organization over 55 million people have dementia worldwide. This is predicted to triple, rising to over 150 million by 2050.听听

Dementia is a group of symptoms caused by different diseases that damage the brain. It is a progressive condition which can affect memory, language and behaviour. Currently there is no cure.听

While Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, there are others such as vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's and Huntington鈥檚 disease. There are also rarer forms of dementia caused by other diseases and conditions.听

We identify modifiable risk factors for neurodegenerative conditions and investigate how behavioural change and large-scale public health interventions can help. We also use brain imaging and biochemical markers to understand how we can prevent dementia before symptoms appear.听

Eyes on AI: Exploring a cutting-edge approach to early dementia detection

Professor Pearse Keane explains how using artificial intelligence听to investigate the eye's retinal tissue can help diagnose dementia.

Professor Gill Livingston on how we can reduce our risk of developing dementia

Professor Gill Livingston discusses听the modifiable risk factors that听could prevent or delay the onset of dementia.

Professor Anne Schilder on the links between hearing loss and dementia

Professor Anne Schilder is an ENT surgeon and investigates the links between hearing loss and dementia.

Professor Hugo Spiers on insights from taxi drivers for Alzheimer鈥檚 interventions

Professor Hugo Spiers explains how looking at London taxi drivers' brains might provide insights into Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.

We听research the molecular and cellular basis of neurodegenerative conditions that give rise to dementia to help us identify therapeutic targets. Our cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities support our researchers in fast-tracking the development of new treatments.

Dr Marc听Aurel Busche on oligodendrocytes鈥� unexpected role in the fight against Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease

Dr听Marc Aurel Busche and his team discovered something unexpected - that oligodendrocytes not just neurons produce amyloid beta, a finding which has promise for future Alzheimer's disease treatments.

Dr Cath Mummery on using gene silencing treatments to tackle Alzheimer's听

Dr Cath Mummery听is leading a world-first trial involving a 鈥榞ene silencing鈥� drug听that has shown promise in safely and successfully lowering levels of the harmful tau protein known to cause Alzheimer's disease.

Professor Henrik Zetterberg on听how听biomarkers could听revolutionise our understanding of Alzheimer's

Professor Henrik Zetterberg focuses听on the development of biomarkers, which have huge potential to transform our understanding of disease, for brain disorders such as Alzheimer鈥檚.

听

Dr Ashvini Keshavan and her trial identifying accurate and quick blood tests to diagnose dementia

Dr Ashvini Keshavan will co-lead the Blood Biomarker Challenge, which aims to revolutionise dementia diagnosis.

At the heart of our work are those affected by dementia, as well as their carers and families. We focus on how to provide the best clinical care for patients and ensure that access to information, advice and support is available to everyone.

Dr听Naaheed Mukadam on听creating better听equality in dementia diagnosis and care

Dr Naaheed Mukadam investigates the problem of ethnic inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care, and how to address the issue.听

Professor Nick Fox on why we need to improve support for听rare dementias

Professor Nick Fox is director of the UCL Dementia Research Centre and co-leads Rare Dementia Support, which provides support for听less common, young onset and inherited dementias.

Professor Alexander Leff on the Gotcha! app helping people with dementia recall names

Professor Leff works on brain imaging studies of people with aphasia and alexia, and web-based therapies for patients with cognitive, language or visual impairments.

Dr Jem Bhatt on the negative treatment and discrimination faced by dementia carers

Dr Jem Bhatt from the UCL Unit for Stigma Research听conducts psychosocial dementia research, and investigates the discrimination faced by dementia carers.

• How UCL academics are spearheading the fight against Alzheimer鈥檚 disease
• The Jennings vs Alzheimer鈥檚: Shaping a new 鈥渢reatment era鈥� through discovery
• Rare dementia support groups
• UCL dementia staff network

Additional features

• Meet Professor Karen Duff, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute: Professor Karen Duff has worked for over 30 years on Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, with a particular focus on tauopathies.
• Professor John Collinge on tackling prion diseases: Professor John Collinge is Director of the MRC Prion Unit and also directs the NHS National Prion Clinic at the adjacent National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.
• Dr Victoria Garfield on how napping can preserve brain health: Dr Victoria Garfield investigates healthy ageing and how lifestyle and social factors can slow cognitive decline.
• Dr Joshua Stott on improving wellbeing in people with dementia: Dr Joshua Stott is director of the UCL ADAPT lab and studies the use of cognitive behavioural therapy and talking therapies for people with dementia.
• Dr Soyon Hong on investigating microglia and the importance of collaboration within her lab:听Dr Soyon Hong is a specialist in the relationship between microglia and synapses.
• Meet Dr Vitor Zimmerer:听Dr Vitor Zimmerer is a clinical linguist and cognitive scientist, with a focus on language capacity in neurodiversity and people with neurological disorders such as dementia.
• Meet Professor Selina Wray:听Professor Selina Wray's lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and dementia.
• Meet Dr Marc Busche:听Dr Marc Busche is leading a UK Dementia Research Institute Grand Challenge project focused on developing a functional circuit biomarker for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
• Meet Professor听Fiona Ducotterd, Chief Scientific Officer at the Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute:听Professor Fiona Ducotterd discusses the challenges in developing drugs to treat neurodegenerative conditions like dementia.
• Dr听Evangelia Chrysikou on designing for dementia:听Dr听Evangelia Chrysikou investigates the field of architecture and dementia, and how we can design for dementia.