Katy Hayes

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences
• Does quantitative MRI of the deep brain grey matter structures offer diagnostic value for patients with Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)?

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a common cause of dementia. DLB patients have loss of dopamine transporters in the putamen (while Alzheimer’s disease, AD patients don’t show this) which can be measured by “DATscan” and assists in the diagnosis, but sensitivity and specificity are only ~85-90%. We have quantitative MRI scans in AD, DLB and controls and detailed cognitive profiles. These scans are sensitive to changes in the tissue microstructure. The project will determine whether there are subtle changes in the putamen on these MRI scans which may help to differentiate between the DLB and AD groups and controls.

Funding source: Newcastle University