research group

Dementia research group for early diagnosis and prevention

Main research area of the group

dementia, cognitive impairment, neuropsychology, genetics, biomarkers, neuroimaging, early diagnosis, prevention

Leading researcher:

Acad. Prof. Latchezar Traykov, MD, PhD, DSc

Medical Faculty, Department of Neurology, MU – Sofia

Members of the research team:

  • Assoc. Prof., MD, PhD, DSc, Shima Mehrabian-Spassova;
  • Assoc. prof. Margarita Raycheva;
  • Assoc. Prof., MD, PhD, Mariya Ivanova Petrova;
  • Assist. Prof. MD, PhD, Sylvia Petrova Skelina;
  • Assist. {Prof. MD, PhD, Yavor Zhelev;
  • Assist. Prof. MD, Hristo Krushkov;
  • MD, PhD, Zdravka Zheleva;
  • Prof., MD, PhD, Georgi Onchev;
  • MD, PhD, Desislava Ignatova;
  • MD, Irena Dreharova-Kireva;
  • MD, Diyana Belezhanska-Odzhakova;
  • Prof. MD, PhD, DSc, Dora Zlatareva;
  • Assist. prof., MD, PhD, Nevena Fileva;
  • Assoc. prof., MD, PhD, Valeriq Hadzhiyska-Popova

Research goals

The main objective of this study is to apply a multidisciplinary approach with identification and follow-up of a group of patients with predementia states of neurodegenerative disorders and to identify sensitive clinical, neuropsychological, neuropsychiatric, biochemical (blood and
cerebrospinal fluid), modifiable risk factors and neuroimaging biomarkers for implementation of a multimodal preventive intervention.

This study sets the following secondary objectives:
1. Creation of a specific package of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, neuropsychological,neuropsychiatric and neuroimaging markers for characterization and follow-up of patients with pre-dementia states of neurodegenerative disorders for prediction of conversion to dementia
and screening for markers that can distinguish the state from normal controls.
2. Establishment of the sequence of occurrence of the deficit in different cognitive areas in subjects with SCI, MCI and/or MBI.
3. Determining the role and profile of blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for assessing the predementia states of neurodegenerative disorders and prediction of possible dementia progression as well as the type of dementia.
4. Determining the role of neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric markers for assessing the pre-dementia states of neurodegenerative disorders and prediction of possible dementia progression as well as the type of dementia.
5. Determining the role of neuroimaging markers for assessment of pre-dementia states of neurodegenerative disorders and prediction of possible dementia progression as well as the type of dementia.
6. Determining the association of MBI with amyloid and/or tau pathology, and
neurodegeneration.
7. Determining of dementia conversion rate and type in a longitudinal follow-up of the subjects with SCI, MCI, and/or MBI
8. Investigation the effect of multimodal preventive intervention in a group of subjects with SCI, MCI, and/or MBI with different biomarker profile.
9. Biobanking.