Müge Akıncı receives her PhD with a research on markers for the identification of preclinical Alzheimer's disease

Müge Akıncı, researcher in the Clinical and Risk Factors for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group of the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), has successfully defended her doctoral thesis on the early identification of Alzheimer’s pathogenesis and the effects of modifiable risk factors in the early preclinical stage of the disease. 

The work, entitled “Brain resilience, vulnerability, and modifiable risk factors in populations at risk of Alzheimer’s disease”, studies non-specific pathophysiological processes involved in the development of Alzheimer’s, such as inflammatory response, synaptic dysfunction and neural injury. The research concludes that such markers aid in the early identification of individuals at risk of developing the disease. It also highlights how neuroinflammatory response can contribute to the development of pathologies related to Alzheimer’s in a distinct way in men and women. 

The thesis also analyses how preventive lifestyle changes can have a protective effect against the development of Alzheimer's disease. Results suggest that increasing physical activity in midlife may provide resistance against the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain and bolster brain resilience. It also highlights that Alzheimer’s pathology and higher levels of stress perception exacerbate mental health symptoms in populations at increased risk of Alzheimer’s.

Müge Akıncı joined the BBRC in 2020 and has developed her research activity in the study of clinical risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease in the preclinical stages of the disease.  

We have spoken with her to find out about her thesis and her projects.

What are the main conclusions of your thesis?

In this thesis we demonstrate that non-specific pathophysiological processes, such as neural injury and inflammatory response, can help early identification of individuals at risk of developing Alzheimer’s-related brain and cognitive changes. These processes can also play a sex-specific role in the development of pathological processes associated with Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, results suggest that modifiable lifestyle and mental health factors, such as physical activity or anxious-depressive symptoms, are linked to Alzheimer’s pathologies and hold the potential to slow down or exacerbate the disease development in populations at risk of developing the disease.

What doors do these findings open for us in Alzheimer's disease research?

They highlight the early involvement of non-specific pathological processes in Alzheimer’s disease and motivate research into understanding their role in the progression of the disease. They also open avenues for interventions aiming to increase physical activity amounts and alleviate stress and mental health symptoms in populations at risk of Alzheimer’s to prevent or delay the disease development.

How do you face your new stage as a postdoctoral researcher? What lines of research would you like to delve into from now on?

I am really excited about starting to a new chapter in my career. I would like to continue working on Alzheimer’s research, particularly focusing on identifying the mechanisms and factors that could improve the brain’s resilience to prevent the development and progression of the disease.