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16 Headlines Researchers unite to tackle DEMENTIA IN NEW Globally and in New Zealand, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia/mate wareware is reaching crisis point, and is expected to more than double over the next three decades . A n estimated 83,000 New Zealanders currently live with dementia/mate wareware. This is expected to rise to 170,000 by 2050, with a projected economic cost of $6 billion a year. One of the most comprehensive initiatives aimed at preventing or delaying AD in New Zealand is the Dementia Prevention Research Clinics (DPRCs), which began seven years ago as part of the then Centre of Research Excellence, Brain Research New Zealand. Today, the DPRCs are a national, multi-disciplinary longitudinal study led by a team of New Zealand’s top clinicians, neuroscientists and brain researchers from three major New Zealand universities. The DPRCs are currently funded by the New Zealand Dementia Prevention Trust, the Hugh Green Foundation, and the Angus Trust. The Neurological Foundation provides grants to support the amazing research being undertaken by scientists and clinicians involved in the initiative. With clinics in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, the study aims to improve the understanding of factors that influence the development and progression of memory difficulties, in order to develop interventions that delay or prevent progression to dementia. The clinics are calling for more volunteers to take part in the incredible initiative, which so far has recruited 400 study participants. They are looking for people aged 55 years or over with memory problems, as well as healthy volunteers, to build a powerful data set that provides an opportunity to identify early biomarkers of risk and protective factors within the unique ethnic diversity of the New Zealand population. The information for the study is collated from the participant’s clinical and medical history, cognitive functioning, lifestyle factors, biomarkers in their blood, and brain MRI and PET scans. Participants are seen every two years. “Alzheimer’s disease is complex and challenging. Despite considerable progress in describing the neuropathology of the disease, we still do not understand the underlying causes, and currently there is no cure,” says Professor Lynette Tippett, Centre for Brain Research and National Director, Dementia Prevention Research Clinics. “Research offers hope that development of a range of novel treatments may delay the onset and progression of the disease and maximise quality of life for those people living with dementia. To have the biggest possible impact on people’s lives, we need to be able to identify those at most risk of Alzheimer’s when the earliest biological changes occur – 20 years or more before clinical symptoms appear. Additionally, if we could delay the onset of dementia by five years, we could reduce the incidence by 50%.” The initiative aims to have recruited 600 people by the end of 2025. One of those taking part is Lynn Kenyon, 55, from Auckland, who was concerned about her cognitive abilities after overcoming breast cancer. “After having all the drugs and treatment, my brain just didn’t work as well as it used to, I couldn’t think straight. I started to worry that I was going to get early onset dementia. I’m adopted so I have no idea if I am at risk,” she says. Professor Lynette Tippett Enquiries: dprc@uoa.auckland.ac.nz