Looking for the clues to future development of Alzheimer's disease? No crystal ball exists that can fortell who will or will not be stricken with the brain disorder. So, researchers at Wayne State University's Institute of Gerontology are doing the next best thing – they’re using imaging technology to study the brains of study participants.
Each year, the study participants return for an annual screening with cognitive tests. Later, researchers will be able to look back and determine what changes were noted in their brains.
Thomas Jankowski, the institute's Associate Director for Research, says it’s too early to make any generalizations about results of the research project. But, Jankowski says researchers have noted that as we age our brains shrink. Some brains, he says, shrink more than others.
Other cognitive studies underway at Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology include one which looks at how people find their way around unfamiliar areas. Another studies coping skills of the hip fracture patient who must learn how to navigate their home – in a wheelchair.
For more information on these and other studies, contact: Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology at (313) 577-2297 or ioginfo@wayne.edu.
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