June 18, 2024
Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) has announced the recent recipients of funding for research into neurocognitive disorders.
We are proud to announce that Dr. Maxime Montembeault has been awarded a “New Investigator Grant” for his project Novel digital and adaptive marker of word-finding difficulties for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, in the Diagnosis category.
The Alzheimer Society Research Program is a collaborative initiative that mobilizes provincial Alzheimer Societies, the Alzheimer Society of Canada, partners, and donors to support research directed at both eradicating dementia and ameliorating the lives of those affected by it. This program provides grants and awards to support Canadian studies that promise new insights into causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Over 64% of older adults without neurocognitive disorders report forgetting the names of objects when speaking. These difficulties are commonly dismissed as typical aspects of the normal aging process. However, recent findings suggest that when these word-finding difficulties reach a certain level, they can serve as an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. Regrettably, current word-finding clinical tests are likely not sensitive enough to identify impairments in the general population. The study focuses on three key questions:
- Do the existing word-finding tests reflect the experiences of older adults and can they predict Alzheimer’s disease?
- Can we improve word-finding tests by leveraging recent technological advancements and make a new test accessible to Canadian clinicians/researchers?
- Is this novel word-finding test a more effective tool for detecting Alzheimer’s disease? This project could have significant implications in the detection and diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders in older adults.
Congratulations Dr. Maxime Montembeault!