Dissertation for Medicine Doctoral degree at Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry
Genetic factors and neurobiological markers in relation to aging, with a specific focus on longevity and dementia
Opponent: Professor Tormod Fladby, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Examining committee: Professor Eva Billstedt (chair), Professor Katrine Riklund (UMU) and Professor Börje Bjelke
The disputation will be held in English
Welcome to attend online via streaming, via the web tool Teams: link to be announced
Chairperson of the disputation: Associate Professor Ann Brinkmalm Westman
By 2050, one in five individuals will be aged 60 years and above. On the other hand, as our societies age, the risk of developing age-related diseases such as dementia increases simultaneously.
In 2019, dementia was the seventh leading cause of death in all ages and fourth among older adults aged 70 years and above. The global cost associated with dementia care was about 1.3 trillion USD in 2019, translating to an annual per-patient cost of about 36000 USD, and projected to double by 2030.
By 2050, the number of people living with dementia is expected to be ~152 million, with most new cases (~71%) expected to occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Sadly, the available pharmacological treatments currently approved by regulatory agencies only slow down the disease progression.
This therefore suggests that understanding factors contributing to longevity and the onset of age-related diseases, in particular dementia, has become increasingly important.
This thesis aimed to investigate how hereditary factors, brain health—reflected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—and systemic physiology interact in ageing, and how these interrelationships may contribute to the development of dementia. The analyses were based on 70-year-olds born in 1944 who were followed over six years as part of the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies.