New Ways to Spot Dementia: What We Learned at Our Recent Great Minds Live

Thank you to all our Great Minds members who joined us for our recent live event on diagnostic advances in dementia. Your continued participation makes these valuable sessions possible, and we're delighted to share that the full recording is now available for those who couldn't attend or would like to watch again.

As one of over 12,600 Great Minds participants, you're directly contributing to the advancement of dementia research, and events like these showcase the remarkable progress being made thanks to your involvement. Watch the full recording here.

Moving Beyond Traditional Testing

Professor Paresh Malhotra from Imperial College London discussed the evolution of diagnostic approaches, highlighting how clinicians are moving beyond standardised cognitive assessments to more nuanced methods.

"What's much more useful actually is just to talk to someone about things that people like," explained Professor Malhotra. "I ask about what's been going on in the family recently, whether someone's been out, whether a family member has been to visit recently, where the most recent family holiday was."

This personalised approach provides valuable context that standardised tests often miss. Professor Malhotra also detailed how brain imaging has transformed our understanding of different dementia types, though he emphasised that diagnosis remains a complex process requiring multidisciplinary expertise.

Blood Biomarkers: A Diagnostic Revolution

Dr Amanda Heslegrave from University College London presented groundbreaking developments in blood biomarker research that could revolutionise how dementia is diagnosed.

"Until about ten years ago, it was thought that we would never be able to measure the proteins associated with brain health in blood," Dr Heslegrave noted. "But technological breakthroughs now allow us to detect Alzheimer's pathology through simple blood tests—making the process much cheaper and much less invasive."

Her team at the UK Dementia Research Institute is pioneering methods that could eventually allow testing through simple finger-prick samples that patients could even complete at home. These advances not only promise to make diagnosis more accessible but could also transform recruitment for clinical trials.

Looking Forward

The event highlighted how diagnostic capabilities are advancing steadily, with implications for both clinical practice and research. As treatments continue to develop, early and accurate diagnosis becomes increasingly important.

We're grateful for your ongoing commitment to Great Minds. Your participation helps make these research improvements possible, and we hope you'll find the recording informative. The insights shared demonstrate the value of your contribution to dementia research.