PR Case Sharing: CUHK Faculty of Social Science Research Release Series – Department of Psychology Research Release

A Groundbreaking Study Identifies High-Risk Individuals

Leading to a 3-Year Free Dementia Risk Assessment Research Programme to Promote Early Detection

As Hong Kong’s population ages, dementia has emerged as one of the most serious health issues facing older adults and their families. Prof. CHAN Sui-Yin Agnes, Chairperson

and Professor of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Director of the Research Centre for Neuropsychological Well-Being at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and her research team combined Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) with algorithms, successfully identifying people at high-risk of dementia at the preclinical stage, providing a new direction for early detection of dementia.

Under the CUHK Faculty of Social Science (FSSC) research release series, the Prologue team has recently supported the Department of Psychology in the release of “Research Findings on Innovative Cerebral Hemodynamic Model: A High-Risk Biomarker for Dementia” by coordinating media interviews and crafting media messages. The research release has generated diverse coverage including Mingpao, Hong Kong Economic Times, RTHK Backchat, am730 and CAPTIAL.

Prof. CHAN Sui-Yin Agnes, Chairperson and Professor of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Director of the Research Centre for Neuropsychological Well-Being at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), sharing her research findings on Innovative Cerebral Hemodynamic Model: A High-Risk Biomarker for Dementia.

Prof. CHAN has long been dedicated to research on early assessment of dementia, hoping to help older adults maintain a healthy brain. She and her research team recruited 151 participants and divided them into six groups, including Normal Cognition (NC),

amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), non-amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (naMCI), and three groups with different levels of Subjective Memory Complaint (SMC) - mild, moderate, and severe.

All participants were classified as having no dementia according to the Hong Kong version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), with only some showing severe SMC. The study adopted fNIRS technology, which uses near-infrared light (700-900 nanometers) to measure cerebral hemodynamics to assess and compare changes in hemoglobin concentration among participants.

After putting on the fNIRS device, participants performed memory tasks of varying difficulty (from simple to more challenging levels), during which the device measured their cerebral hemodynamics. Prof. CHAN explained that the focus of the tasks was not to examine whether the participants completed the memory tasks accurately, but rather to observe how their cerebral hemodynamics differed when the memory tasks became more demanding.

Prof. CHAN said that fNIRS successfully screened high-risk individuals for dementia in the pre-clinical stage, thereby overcoming the limitation that dementia used to be diagnosable only after the condition had further progressed.

This study found that the level of oxyhemoglobin (HbO) in aMCI patients was significantly lower than that of the NC group. Notably, individuals with severe SMC - those who subjectively feel their memory has worsened but still fall within the normal range on cognitive tests - demonstrated patterns of brain activity similar to those of aMCI patients.

This confirms that SMC should not be regarded as mere anxiety but rather reflects that changes in the brain have already occurred before symptoms can be detected through cognitive test.

By combining fNIRS with algorithms for assessment, the research team has developed this CUHK exclusive technology through integrating hardware and software and successfully obtained four U.S. patents. The team is now finalizing the development of a lighter and more portable fNIRS device.

The research team is now finalizing the development of a lighter and more portable fNIRS device.

Starting from this March, the research team has launched a three-year free assessment research programme for dementia risk, targeting citizens aged 40 or above. The research programme is funded by the CUHK Faculty of Social Science, benefiting 1,000 people.

“Through this assessment research programme, we would like to emphasize the concept of ‘early prevention’. By adjusting lifestyle habits and adopting appropriate non-pharmacological interventions, it may be possible to slow the deterioration. It can help ease the pressure on families and the healthcare system in the long term.” —— Prof. CHAN Sui-Yin Agnes, Chairperson and Professor of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Director of the Research Centre for Neuropsychological Well-Being at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

For the full research paper, please click this link to learn more: 

https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/alz.13897

📍Feature Interview Highlight:

• 明報：中大研光譜儀測認障風險 冀量產普及 [Link]

• RTHK (Backchat): Free dementia risk assessment [Link]

• 香港經濟日報：自覺記憶下降 或是腦部血氧異常警號 中大研發新儀器 識別臨床前期認知障礙 [Link]

• TOPick: 認知障礙症｜自覺記憶下降或是腦部血氧異常警號 中大研發新儀器識別臨床前期認知障礙 [Link]

• am730: 中大研新儀器 揪早期認知障礙 [Link]

• CAPTIAL: 中大研發腦部血流動力創新模型 成功於臨床前期篩出認知障礙症高風險人士 [Link]

• etnet: 中大推免費測試！提前識別早期認知障礙 結合生活醫學，緩解腦退化風險 [Link]

📍Media Coverage Highlight:

• healthyD: 早期篩查｜中大研新技術＋儀器 助識別高風險人士｜將推為期三年認知障礙症免費風險評估研究 [Link]

• 香港新聞網：港中大新研究成功篩出認知障礙症高風險人士 [Link]

• HK Business Wire: CUHK Study Uses Brain Blood Flow Patterns to Detect Early Dementia Risk [Link]