What is the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) in India?

The Centre for Brain Research (CBR) is an autonomous organization at IISc, Bengaluru, dedicated to researching the aging brain and age-associated disorders like dementia.

Why is dementia a growing concern in India?

India's rapidly aging population and the underestimation of dementia as a normal part of aging contribute to its growing concern, with millions expected to be affected.

How can AI help in predicting dementia at CBR?

AI helps CBR analyze large, multimodal health datasets to identify patterns and build predictive models for early dementia detection, focusing on non-pharmacological interventions.

Home / Health / India Tackles Dementia: A Data-Driven Approach

India Tackles Dementia: A Data-Driven Approach

20 Dec

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Summary

India faces a growing dementia crisis with millions affected.
Centre for Brain Research uses AI and data to predict dementia.
Early detection through lifestyle changes is key to prevention.

India Tackles Dementia: A Data-Driven Approach

India is projected to experience a surge in dementia cases, with a significant portion of its elderly population potentially affected by 2030. Recognizing this growing public health challenge, the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at IISc, Bengaluru, is pioneering a data-driven approach. Their mission focuses on understanding brain aging and age-associated disorders, aiming for early prediction and prevention of dementia.

The CBR leverages advanced statistical methods, machine learning, and AI to analyze large datasets of health information. This strategy is crucial as dementia's long, silent progression makes clinical diagnosis difficult. By identifying early and composite biomarkers, particularly through lifestyle interventions, the center seeks to halt or postpone the disease before irreversible damage occurs. This contrasts with current drug research, which has yielded limited success.

To achieve this, CBR has established both urban and rural cohorts for longitudinal studies, collecting multimodal data including clinical evaluations, cognitive assessments, and biological samples. This research aims to define India-specific risk factors and develop personalized interventions, ultimately working towards a national repository to advance dementia research and improve brain health across the country.