Radiology - Theses
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ItemThe associations between physical activity and magnetic resonance imaging in people at risk of Alzheimer's disease( 2016)The world’s ageing population is growing rapidly, and although longevity is a positive development, this involves an increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases including dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). This disease cannot be cured and the burgeoning proportion of the population that is aged leads to an urgent need to identify people who are at risk of developing AD in the future. Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is a known risk factor for AD and modifiable CVD risk factors, which may delay the onset of AD, include diabetes, obesity, smoking or hypertension and the level of physical activity (PA). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures CVD by assessing white matter lesions that can be detected as T2-signal white matter hyperintensities. Additionally, hippocampal volumes, also assessed by MRI, are an important biomarker in the context of cognitive decline and AD. This thesis examines cross-sectional baseline data from older participants from the AIBL Active (AA) study in Melbourne, Australia. This randomised clinical trial is a longitudinal sub-study of the Australian Imaging Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) flagship study. The AA study aims to assess the effect of PA on the possible delay of CVD progression. All the participants have either subjective memory complaints or mild cognitive impairment and at least one vascular risk factor including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidaemia or smoking.