Volunteers are being sought for a study into how the brain changes as we age.
It is hoped the research will provide new understanding of dementia, which affects 820,000 people in the UK*- a figure forecast to rise rapidly as the population ages.
Scientists at the 黑料网 are calling for 30 healthy adults between the ages of 20-60, with no history of illnesses, which affect the brain, to take part in the study.
They are looking to understand if there is a relationship between the compliance of our brain 鈥� it鈥檚 鈥榮tiffness鈥� 鈥� and dementia.
Dr Gordon Waiter, Senior Lecturer in Computational Neuroimaging at the 黑料网鈥檚 who is leading the study, explained: 鈥淥ur focus is on investigating how the brain鈥檚 compliance 鈥� how squashy or stiff it is 鈥� changes as we age.
鈥淲e think that as the brain gets older it becomes stiffer which means it is less able to absorb the blood pressure waves which occur in the brain every time our heart beats.
鈥淥ur study is aiming to investigate whether there is a link between this stiffness, and dementia.鈥�
Volunteers taking part in the study will be required to have a brain scan using an MRI scanner.
Dr Waiter said: 鈥漌e鈥檙e looking for a group of healthy 20-60 year olds who are free of neurological or mental health problems. Volunteers should not have an illness that affects their brain, heart, circulation, breathing or lungs, or a previous medical history of migraines.
鈥淭hey should not suffer from high blood pressure, or have a previous medical history or family history of bleeding in the brain or previous brain surgery.
鈥淩ecognising the symptoms of dementia early is a major challenge. Conducting research into the normal ageing brain is the vital first part of the study, because fully understanding what is normal in the brain will allow us to be able to tell what is abnormal at an earlier stage.
鈥淚t is hoped this research could lead to much earlier detection of dementia in the future, and develop understanding of preventative action which could be taken against the illness at an earlier stage of life.鈥�
The study will take place at the 黑料网鈥檚 Lilian Sutton Building on its Foresterhill campus.
It is funded by a 拢16,000 grant from Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK.
Volunteers interested in taking part should contact Dawn Younie on 01224 559803 or email d.younie@abdn.ac.uk.