Inaugural Cognition Awareness Day shares key findings and champions brain health

On 23 February, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine’s (LKCMedicine) Dementia Research Centre (Singapore) (DRCS) organised the inaugural Cognition Awareness Day 2023 for the public to find out more about how cognitive disorders such as mild cognitive impairment and dementia can be affected by the health of their blood vessels. 

Held at the LKCMedicine Novena campus, over 100 attendees picked up vital facts about the biological aspects of cognitive disorders, lifestyle-related risk factors for dementia and practical strategies to maintain a healthy brain through a series of expert talks, poster displays and exhibition booths.

LKCMedicine Dean Professor Joseph Sung warmly welcomed the attendees and said, “Early research findings show that if we can protect the blood vessels well by controlling blood pressure, sugar and so on, we may be able to prevent or at least slow down the progress of dementia. That is the reason why you here today – Professor Nagaendran and his colleagues are going to tell you more about their research findings through talks, posters and educational activities.”

In his speech, Guest-of-Honour NTU Acting President, Deputy President and Provost Professor Ling San said, “DRCS believes that we can improve cognitive function and reduce the incidence of dementia in our population by targeting cerebral small vessel disease. This is a goal worth pursuing, not only for the health and well-being of the population, but also for the economic and social benefits for both Singapore and the greater Asian region.”

Among the highlights was a presentation by A/Prof Kandiah on preliminary findings of five-year longitudinal Biomarker and Cognitive Impairment Study (BIOCIS), including the most prevalent cognitive disorders in Singapore, the role of silent strokes in cognitive disorders and the impact of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol on the brain. He also touched on the measures that need to be taken to prevent or delay the progression of pre-dementia to dementia.   

One of the speakers, Consultant Geriatrician at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Dr Cheong Chin Yee, gave insights into the latest research on reversible risk factors of dementia. During her informative talk, she covered some of these risk factors, such as high blood pressure, smoking, depression, social isolation and lack of physical activity, that can contribute to the risk of developing dementia and how addressing these risk factors may help reduce that risk. She also discussed practical steps that the participants can take to make positive changes to their lifestyle and potentially lower the chances of developing dementia.

DRCS Psychologist, Ms Soo See Ann, spoke about preventing dementia through cognitive stimulation. She shared simple ways in which the participants can stimulate their minds to slow down the progression of the disease through applying cognitive stimulation therapy into their daily lives.

DRCS was launched on 25 April 2022 to better understand how the condition develops in Asians and to advance new strategies that will one day help to predict and delay the progression of the disease. The Centre aims to shed light on “Asian dementia” and capture changes in the brain before dementia sets in. 

In tandem with Healthier SG’s focus on preventive care, DRCS will continue to promote awareness of cognitive disorders and develop lifestyle intervention programmes to reduce the risk of developing dementia. The Centre also aims to share further research findings on dementia with the public as the study progresses.