Project 466500

Dementia is a pressing concern given Canadas aging population coupled with the lack of effective treatments for dementia-causing disorders. Vascular risk factors (e.g., diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure) are common in older adults, and are associated with increased risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Research has shown that when vascular risk factors and Alzheimers pathology occur together, older adults experience more rapid cognitive decline and brain volume loss. Interestingly, Alzheimers pathology is commonly observed in the brains of older adults with non-Alzheimer's neurological disorders, such as Parkinsons disease and cerebrovascular disease. However, it is currently not known how Alzheimers pathology and vascular risk factors affect cognition and brain volume loss in these conditions. Recently developed technology now allows for the proteins associated with Alzheimers disease (i.e., amyloid and tau) to be measured in the blood. In this study, I will leverage this novel technology to measure Alzheimer's pathology non-invasively in an Ontario-wide study of participants with Parkinson's disease and cerebrovascular disease. The main goal of this study is to determine whether Alzheimer's pathology and vascular risk are associated with accelerated cognitive decline and brain volume loss in these conditions. The results of this study will provide new insight into risk factors for cognitive decline in Parkinsons disease and cerebrovascular disease. If vascular risk contributes to cognitive decline and brain volume loss across multiple neurological diseases, vascular health could be targeted to prevent and slow the progression of dementia for the many Canadians at risk.