Living well with dementia Q&As

A: Some lifestyle choices, such as not managing our cardiovascular health, can increase our dementia risk. While research does not show that dementia can be avoided by exercise, QBI research has shown that physical exercise can positively impact cognition in older healthy adults by stimulating the formation of new neurons in parts of the brain. The researchers followed their study participants for 5 years after the exercise intervention and found they still had improved cognition.

A: Current drug treatments for Alzheimer’s disease aim to manage symptoms and improve a person’s quality of life. Still, they don’t cure, delay or stop the disease’s progression. Alzheimer’s drugs also don’t work for everyone and may become less effective over time. These drugs also have side effects, and their use is closely monitored by doctors.

Ongoing research is needed to find new and better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. QBI’s dementia research is multifaceted and includes potential therapies to address the underlying causes of the disease (not just the symptoms) and ways to improve the delivery of existing drug treatments, e.g. by opening the blood-brain barrier.

One of QBI’s latest innovations is the development of scanning ultrasound for potentially treating Alzheimer’s disease. This therapy is not yet available in the clinic. In 2024, our team completed the human safety trial (the first stage of clinical trials). You can read more about this trial here. The team has analysed the results and aims to publish them in 2025.  

A: Age is the single most significant risk factor for developing dementia. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that in addition to age and genetics, a range of lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to the risk of developing dementia.

According to the Lancet Commission 2024 report on dementia prevention, intervention, and care, up to 45% of future dementia cases could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors arising from the health and lifestyle choices we make.

Continued research is needed to better understand the complex relationship between environmental factors and dementia. 

A: Whether meditation can prevent dementia is still under investigation. A 2022 study found that following a meditation program for 18 months can improve attention and socio-emotional regulation in people over 65. However, the researchers did not identify any significant impact of meditation on the volume and functioning of the brain structures studied compared to control groups. Hence, meditation’s potential to prevent dementia remains unclear.

A: Studies have shown that following a healthy diet – such as eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts; replacing butter with olive oil; consuming fish; reducing salt intake by using herbs and spices and limiting red meat – is associated with a lower dementia risk. Processed foods with high fats and trans fats are associated with an increased dementia risk.

A: University of Queensland researchers in the Nestor lab discovered that nearly 70 per cent of suspected frontotemporal dementia patients ultimately did not have the disease in a study aimed at identifying factors that contribute to misdiagnosis of this notoriously difficult-to-diagnose disorder. The study found patients with prior psychiatric histories were more likely to be misdiagnosed. The clinician-researchers encouraged physicians to be cautious not to over-interpret neuroimaging and neuropsychology results and be hesitant to label behavioural change as frontotemporal dementia in patients with prior psychiatric histories.

A: Dementia Australia advocate Dom O’Leary suggests trying gentler ways to support them until they're ready to talk about the diagnosis. Try some simple memory and visual aids. If they forget where things go, start making notes with simple illustrations on them and putting them in places for them, e.g. milk is in the fridge.

Talk with their or your GP to see if the GP can assist in suggesting helpful support options or talking with them one-on-one. Often people will listen to their GP rather than their loved ones. They may feel judged by their loved ones, where if the information is coming from a GP, they may trust it as unbiased. If you have a partner who you think may have dementia and is yet to be diagnosed, book a joint appointment for a doctor checkup, so you're getting checked at the same time. You can also call the Dementia Australia Helpline (1800 100 500) to chat with counsellors about ideas on how to gently broach the subject.  

A: Heavy alcohol use has been identified as a risk factor for dementia, with excessive consumption putting a person at higher risk of all types of dementia. This 2019 review also associates excessive alcohol consumption with tobacco smoking and depression, which are also modifiable risk factors for dementia.

A: In 2024, Ceretas acquired a license for a promising ultrasound therapy developed by The University of Queensland for potentially treating Alzheimer’s disease. Ceretas, an Australian med-tech company, is raising seed funding to advance the ultrasound device to treat dementia and other neurological conditions. You can read more about this news here.

The first human safety and tolerability trial of the scanning ultrasound device, led by clinician-researcher Professor Peter Nestor, concluded in 2024. The QBI team continues this research, with plans to conduct a second clinical trial in Queensland in 2025. We will share further details about the safety trial results and the subsequent trial when they are available.

A: Professor Lizzie Coulson and her team have discovered a link between obstructive sleep apnoea and dementia in mice. The team developed a novel way to induce sleep-disrupted breathing, as experienced in sleep apnoea, and found that the mice displayed exacerbated pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Their study showed that hypoxia – when the brain is deprived of oxygen – caused the same selective degeneration of neurons that characteristically die in dementia.

You can hear more about Professor Coulson’s study in this QBI podcast. The next step for this research is to determine what levels of hypoxia result in brain degeneration in humans. This research is currently underway.

A: Neuroplasticity is the brain and nervous system’s ability to remodel its structure, function and connections in response to new information. One mechanism through which this occurs is synaptic plasticity, the change in the strength of connections between neurons at synapses crucial for forming new memories. Another is the birth of new neurons, neurogenesis.

QBI neuroscientists are interested in developing ways to protect synaptic plasticity and enhance neurogenesis to treat age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.

QBI researchers have shown that exercise can improve cognition in older, healthy adults and are investigating how to replicate these effects. So far, these studies have focused on healthy people or animal models, and more research is needed before we can establish if these interventions influence dementia as opposed to cognitive decline.

A: Dementia Australia advocates on the panel, Jim and Dom, recommend contacting Dementia Australia to start a conversation about being diagnosed, the next steps, and how they can support you.

Dementia Australia can help guide you and your loved one forward by helping you navigate the things you need to get in order, learn more about the disease, and share information about the support available for the person with dementia and their carer. They will help you prepare, inspire and empower you to live your best life after diagnosis and connect you with peers in a similar situation.

A: Women tend to live longer than men, and age is the most significant risk factor for dementia. But longevity alone doesn’t fully explain the gap — women also seem to have distinct biological vulnerabilities. Women are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, but we still do not know why. Scientists believe that changes to the female brain during menopause, together with social and cultural factors, might affect disease risk, and gender differences in dementia are still under investigation.  

A: The link between head injuries and dementia is an area of immense public interest, particularly during football and rugby seasons. While experiencing a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with an increased risk of dementia in later life, it is less clear whether mild TBI (such as a sports concussion) results in an increased dementia risk. This is an evolving area of study, complicated by the challenge of isolating this factor from others and mild head injuries not being well-documented.  

A: The human brain is a marvel of energy efficiency. It contains roughly 100 billion neurons, performs trillions of operations and consumes about 12 watts of power. In comparison, a typical laptop processes 150 watts. AI systems, which are designed to mimic human brain function, have much higher energy demands. You can read more in this paper.

Associate Professor Steven Zuryn’s lab is focused on the mitochondria responsible for generating the energy that powers all our biological processes, including those in our brain, and what can go wrong. They are expanding our fundamental knowledge of mitochondria, including its unique DNA and how its dysfunction is linked to neurodegenerative disease like dementia. Learn about the Zuryn lab’s most significant discoveries about mitochondrial genetics.

A: While mental exercises may help keep your mind sharp or train you to become better at a specific skill, there is no clinical evidence to suggest that these exercises or brain games can delay the onset of dementia. Dementia risk is influenced by many factors, the most significant being age and genetics. If you enjoy doing something mentally stimulating and free, there’s no downside to continuing. However, remember that brain training sites’ claims about improving cognition or preventing dementia are not backed by scientific facts.

A: QBI researchers in the Meunier lab have discovered the active compound from lion’s mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) that has a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory. You can watch a video of this neuronal growth here. This preclinical research requires further study to test its impact on human brain cells.

This research captures the public’s attention because lion’s mane mushroom have been used in traditional medicines in Asian countries for centuries and many people are interested in ways to boost their memory.

A: Differentiating dementia symptoms from natural ageing-related cognitive changes or other confounding factors in a person’s life that may be affecting their mental capabilities is complex and making accurate dementia diagnoses continues to challenge clinicians.

Dementia is an umbrella term for various diseases that lead to the progressive loss of neurons and neural connections in the brain. Dozens of conditions are known to cause dementia, with the most common being Alzheimer’s disease. Other common types include frontotemporal lobar degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies. For about a third of people living with dementia, there is more than one underlying cause, a state referred to as mixed dementia.

Specialists follow a comprehensive process to diagnose dementia and the underlying disease. This process may involve medical history, cognitive and neurological testing, physical exams, psychiatric evaluations, biomarker and genetic testing and brain imaging. Clinician researchers, like Professor Peter Nestor, are working to develop new and faster ways of identifying signs and symptoms of dementia-causing conditions to enable earlier diagnoses.

A: The digital revolution's impact on our brain is an area of intense interest, particularly for mental health researchers. Social media, digital devices, and AI may impact our brain structure and function, particularly in areas related to attention, memory, addiction, and social regulation. Most studies in this area relate to adolescence and mental illness. However, the relationship between digital technologies, social media, and brain health is complex and poorly understood. Further research is needed to establish its long-term effects on our brain and any potential increased dementia risk.