New developments in dementia research in 2018

The Alzheimer’s Society has been committed to supporting dementia research for almost 40 years and it saw great strides towards new treatments and research during 2018.

It claims that more people than ever are taking part in vital dementia research thanks to its Join Dementia Research programme, which matches people interested in taking part in research to studies in their area. In 2018, it matched more than 10,000 people to research studies.

It also revealed that early stage research showed some drugs used to treat arthritis might help to reduce the risk of dementia and it is now supporting the next stage of this research, helping us to understand the potential of anti-inflammatory drugs for people with dementia.

In 2018, Dementia Research Institute (DRI) centres, supported by the Alzheimer’s Society, officially opened, making the UK the best place in the world to be part of ground-breaking dementia research. There are six centres supporting more than 600 world-leading researchers.

Smartphone technology was huge in 2018 and in September the Alzheimer’s Society launched the GameChanger research app along with the University of Oxford. Users can play fun, free brain games for five minutes per day for a month to help researchers understand more about how brains change over time.

The year also saw a stronger focus on women and dementia, as, worldwide, women with dementia outnumber men at two to one. In 2018, researchers focused more on understanding exactly why this is and the research is on-going in 2019.

It is fantastic to see the amount of research being done on dementia and the positive work the Alzheimer’s Society and other charities and organisations are doing. We’re excited to see the results of the on-going research and other breakthroughs in understanding and treating dementia in 2019.

Info with thanks to The Alzheimer’s Society.