Brain stress test for assessing cerebrovascular reactivity in the aging brain

Award Date: 2018

Project Lead(s): David Mikulis

Project Title: Brain stress test for assessing cerebrovascular reactivity in the aging brain

The brain stress test is comparable to the cardiac stress test. It examines abnormalities in brain blood vessel function thought to be a major contributor to cognitive decline and vascular dementia. Physicians currently rely on vascular risk factors, including diabetes, smoking etc., to assess an individual’s risk of future brain injury. This project aims to improve on this indirect assessment by providing direct measures of blood vessel performance using the brain stress test.  The solution objective is to provide physicians with a tool that can provide a better estimate of a decline in brain function. If successful, this innovation will significantly improve how physicians are able to manage aging patients who are at greater risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia.