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Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference 2015 – Clinical Perspectives

By Robin Brisbourne | Wednesday 18 March 2015
It has now been a week since the hugely successful Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference 2015 got underway. The two day event was a fantastic forum for dementia scientists to exchange ideas and launch collaborations. The very first session of the conference involved specialist dementia doctors giving an overview of the different diseases that cause dementia. This was a great way to set off the event and frame all the later sessions. Hearing from clinicians who, on a daily basis, diagnose, treat, and talk with people who have dementia provided valuable context for the rest of the conference.
Vascular dementia

Prof Hugh Markus
The first speaker was Prof Hugh Markus who gave a talk about vascular dementia, the second most common cause of dementia. Vascular dementia results from damage to blood vessels in the brain and Prof Markus described the different ways this damage can occur. The audience heard how vascular dementia often occurs alongside another form of dementia, most often Alzheimer’s disease, to produce so-called ‘mixed dementia’. Prof Markus pointed out that vascular dementia is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease but the two conditions can lead to very different symptoms so improved diagnosis is very important. He finished by setting out how more research into the condition is desperately needed and the particular need for new treatments. There are currently no treatments specifically for vascular dementia. You can read about the later session all about vascular dementia elsewhere on the blog.
Frontotemporal dementia

Prof Julie Snowden
Alzheimer’s disease

Dr Chris Butler
Dementia with Lewy bodies

Prof John O’Brien
Throughout the remainder of the two day event, we heard fascinating talks about the minute details of dementia biology, things that are vital for scientists to understand in the pursuit of new preventions and treatments. However, it was also important that everyone held in mind the reason so many scientists had gathered to discuss genes, proteins, and molecular processes – so that doctors like those who spoke at our introductory session will one day be able to offer their patients better treatments and more hope when they receive a dementia diagnosis.
This week is Brain Awareness Week, a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. It’s a great opportunity to reflect upon the enormous amount scientists have discovered about the brain. However, it is an almost unbelievably complex organ – the most complex structure in the known universe – and it can be affected by different disease in various ways to produce the range of diverse symptoms we heard about in these talks. If we are to help the people impacted by dementia, it is vital we continue research to better understand the brain, how it is affected by these diseases, and how we might slow, prevent or repair the damage they cause.
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