Currently working on his Ph.D at the University of Victoria, Vinay Bharadia says working in England for a year at a memory disorders clinic as an assistant psychologist really inspired him, highlighting the need for better methods for predicting Alzheimer’s disease.

“In the absence of a cure, prevention and early detection become really important,” says the clinical neuropsychology student, who chose to combine his education in psychology and neuroscience to try to bridge the gap between mental cognition and cellular activity. He hopes his doctoral research, Biomarkers of Mild Cognitive Impairment: Early detection of Alzheimer's Disease, will be a step forward in predicting who, among those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) will develop Alzheimer’s disease.

“If you take a diverse group of people with MCI, past research has suggested that part of the group will remain stable, part of the group will get better, and part of the group will progress to Alzheimer’s disease. It is the outcome of this last group that we hope to be better able to predict.”

In his research, Vinay will consider two factors: cognitive profile, considering which variables might suggest eventual Alzheimer’s; and biological markers of something known as oxidative stress. Together, these variables may enhance the ability to predict the progression from MCI to Alzheimer’s and help in the early detection and possibly prevention of this disease.

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