Gauthier, Serge GJia, Jianping
Douglas Hospital Research Centre (Verdun, Québec)
Canada
Diagnostic Biomarkers for pre-dementia Alzheimer Disease
CIHR
650,000
01/01/2013
4.0
Alzheimer's disease & other dementias
Some persons get Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in young age (before age 65) because of genes inherited from one of their parents. This is called Early Onset Familial Alzheimer Disease (EOFAD). Some of these autosomal dominant genes have been identified, but in half of the families they are still unknown. Persons carrying such genes show changes in their brain chemistry long before they develop symptoms. This study aims at finding as many families as possible in Canada and in China with EOFAD, study which genes are involved in those families, and study the brain chemistry using brain scans, spinal fluid examination, neuropsychological tests over 18 months. This study is important because it will bridge research activities in AD between Canada and China, find missing genes in EOFAD, and establish the sequence of changes in the brain of persons who will get AD symptoms within 10 years.