Over the next five years, Dr Elise Milosevich (Buchan Group, and Old Age Neuroscience and the ORCHARD portfolio) aims to identify key risk factors and pathways linking infections and inflammation to dementia following stroke. Elise will analyse extensive amounts of data, including detailed electronic patient records, brain imaging and cognitive assessments from thousands of people hospitalised by strokes.
Strokes are a common cause of vascular dementia, the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, but the reasons why someone may develop dementia after stroke are not fully understood. A stroke causes damage in the brain, which often leads to changes in someone's brain function causing problems with understanding, reading, writing, remembering, and planning. Many people who experience a stroke will recover these abilities, but for some, these changes persist or worsen and can lead to dementia.
Understanding links between infection and post-stroke dementia
Common infections such as pneumonia often occur after a stroke and may be linked to the development of dementia. Having a better understanding of the connection between infection and post-stroke dementia, Elise hopes to develop strategies to predict, prevent and treat dementia in stroke survivors more effectively. She said: 'This Fellowship provides me with a unique opportunity to explore how infections and inflammation after a stroke may contribute to dementia using large-scale data from diverse sources. By improving our understanding of these links, I hope to generate new insights that could inform strategies to reduce dementia risk and ultimately improve outcomes for those affected.'
Elise will be part of the Race Against Dementia Fellowship Programme – an international development scheme for the most promising dementia researchers. The aim of the Fellowship is to maximise the academic and personal potential of each researcher, allowing them to fast-track their research and become leaders in their field.
Dr Jacqui Hanley, Head of Research Funding at Alzheimer's Research UK said: 'There are currently no treatments available that can reverse damage to the brain caused by stroke that leads to vascular dementia. This Race Against Dementia research project will provide a greater understanding of the impact of stroke on dementia and build the evidence needed to develop new treatment and prevention measures.
'With nearly one million people living with dementia in the UK, it's never been more important to find new ways to slow, stop and ultimately prevent the diseases that cause this condition.
'Alzheimer's Research UK are proud to be working with Race Against Dementia and researchers like Dr Milosevich to support their work as part of the global effort to finding a cure. This work would not be possible without collaborations in dementia research across the UK.'