Brain health, prevention and broadening the agenda

The conference also reflected a growing sense that dementia research in Scotland is increasingly being framed within a broader brain health agenda. Presentations from Brain Health Scotland and the Brain Health ARC emphasised the importance of prevention, risk reduction and public engagement across the life course, including work with children and young people to build awareness of brain health from an early age. Fenna Lunter’s presentation on Scotland’s first national brain health and dementia research priority-setting exercise captured that shift particularly well. Drawing on the views of more than 700 participants, the project identified the research questions that matter most to the public, professionals and people affected by dementia, while underlining the growing importance of brain health, prevention and resilience in shaping Scotland’s future research agenda.

The conference also challenged delegates to broaden their understanding of who dementia affects. One of the programme’s most distinctive and thought-provoking sessions came from Dr Tom Wishart, whose presentation on childhood dementia highlighted a group of rare genetic disorders that cause progressive brain damage in children and remain largely invisible in policy and public discourse. Drawing on the work of Childhood Dementia Scotland, hosted by Alzheimer Scotland, the presentation set out the scale of the issue in Scotland and made the case for stronger recognition of childhood dementia within national dementia policy, the development of a national framework of support and practice, and greater investment in research. It was a powerful reminder that a genuinely inclusive dementia agenda must reflect the experiences and needs of children and families as well as older adults.

Diagnosis, treatment and understanding complexity

Advances in diagnosis and treatment featured prominently throughout the programme. Dr Tim Wilkinson highlighted the emergence of early-phase dementia clinical trials and the work of the UK Dementia Trials Network, underlining the need for modernised pathways, stronger links between diagnosis and research, and improved access to biomarkers and imaging. Dr Fiona Morrison’s overview of recent dementia research situated these developments within the wider international picture, reflecting on advances in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, and on the promise, complexity and challenges of new therapies. The conference also widened the lens beyond Alzheimer’s disease to other neuroprogressive conditions, with Dr Gordon Duncan and Jessica Crossan exploring research priorities and clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and atypical parkinsonian syndromes through the Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network. Together, these sessions reinforced the sense that neurodegenerative research is entering a new era, with earlier diagnosis, disease-modifying treatments and more precise approaches to risk and progression increasingly within reach.

Several presentations focused on understanding dementia risk, progression and complexity. Dr Rose Penfold shared evidence that delirium is a powerful predictor of future dementia and mortality, while Dr Jean Stafford presented findings from a large Swedish population-based cohort study examining links between psychiatric disorders and later dementia risk. In one of the conference’s keynote talks, Dr Lucy Stirland challenged delegates to think beyond dementia in isolation, highlighting the reality that most people living with dementia are also managing several other long-term conditions. Her presentation on multimorbidity was a

reminder that dementia research, policy and practice must reflect the complexity of people’s lives rather than focusing on a diagnosis in isolation.

Post-diagnostic support and care

A particularly strong theme across the programme was the need to strengthen post-diagnostic support and care. Professor Dame Louise Robinson’s keynote explored how evidence on post-diagnostic dementia care can be translated into policy and practice, highlighting the persistent gap between what is known to improve care and what is routinely available. Drawing on work from the UK and internationally, she set out the case for more coordinated, community-based support, including dementia navigators, integrated care pathways and models that link primary care, specialist expertise and wider social support. That focus resonated strongly with Dr Jenni Burton’s presentation on advanced dementia and post-diagnostic support in care homes, which examined the realities of care for people living with advanced dementia and the urgent need for more equitable access to diagnosis, support and specialist care in care home settings. Together, these talks helped frame post-diagnostic support not as an optional extra, but as a core research, policy and practice priority.

Lived experience, participation and inclusion

Lived experience, co-production and participation remained central throughout the programme. Presentations from Partners in Research and RICH Voices (Dr Rosie Ashworth, Denise Munro and Fiona Hartley), Alzheimer Scotland’s Active Voice groups and Student Research Programme (Thea Laurie), and the Edinburgh Centre for Research on the Experience of Dementia (Willy Gilder, Dr Katey Warran and Dr Olivia Turner) demonstrated the value of involving people affected by dementia in shaping research priorities, study design and knowledge exchange. Laurie’s presentation also brought welcome attention to women and dementia, highlighting why women’s brain health has become an increasingly important focus for Alzheimer Scotland’s research and participation work, and linking that agenda to the latest round of the Student Research Programme. Running through many of these sessions was a clear commitment to ensuring that research is shaped not only by scientific curiosity, but by the priorities, experiences and expertise of the people most affected.

Another important strand of the conference centred on language, culture and inclusion. Professor Terry Quinn’s session on best practice in language when reporting conditions associated with ageing offered a timely reminder that words matter in research, policy and practice. Alongside wider discussions of stigma, dignity and participation, it underlined a broader message that surfaced repeatedly across the conference: that how dementia is discussed is inseparable from how people living with dementia are seen, treated and supported. In different ways, presentations on women’s brain health, care home care, public involvement, childhood dementia and advanced dementia all returned to questions of agency, respect and inclusion.

Early Career Researchers and new ideas

The conference also provided a vivid showcase for emerging talent in Scottish dementia research. The Early Career Researcher sessions demonstrated the range, creativity and interdisciplinarity of work now being undertaken by students and early career researchers across the field. Dr Angela Carter explored meaning in activities and interactions with people with advanced dementia, showing how creative, participatory approaches can reveal the significance of everyday encounters and embodied communication. Anna Blair examined the relationship between financial capacity and white matter integrity in Alzheimer’s disease, while Nicola Page presented work on the interoceptive network underpinnings of apathy in Alzheimer’s disease, opening up new questions about motivation, brain networks and

neuropsychiatric symptoms. Jack Pittendreigh’s work on sleep-related neural oscillations as a potential biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease and Dr Robyn Duffy’s research on psychological formulation in dementia care further illustrated the diversity of approaches being brought to bear on dementia research in Scotland. The session also included a pre-recorded presentation from Sanna Fraser on normative modelling of resting-state EEG across the lifespan for application in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia, further underscoring the role of innovative neurophysiological methods in advancing earlier and more precise diagnosis.

Student research and innovation also featured strongly. Lyes Oussaiden presented Memory Through Touch, an Alzheimer Scotland Student Research Programme project exploring how tactile and digital reminiscence experiences might support quality of life for people living with dementia at home. Drawing on co-design, game development and reminiscence research, the project exemplified the conference’s wider interest in creativity, agency and practical innovation. It also sat alongside other examples of how the conference is nurturing the next generation of dementia researchers through student scholarships, early career funding and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Networks, funding and collaboration across boundaries

The conference also highlighted the value of building research communities that cut across traditional boundaries. Professor Frank Gunn-Moore’s update on the Scottish Neurological Research Fund highlighted the role of targeted funding in supporting early career neurological research in Scotland, alongside collaborative work spanning fundamental science, clinical research and wider brain health priorities. Alongside this, the Working with Dementia Network Plus and CONSOLIDATE Network Plus initiatives—presented by Professor Louise Ritchie, Marion Ritchie, Professor Alan Gow and Professor Mario Parra Rodriguez—demonstrated how national networks are opening up new areas of enquiry beyond traditional clinical research. Working with Dementia Network Plus is focused on improving the labour market and workplace experiences of people living with dementia and their carers, through research on work, wellbeing, inclusive workplaces and the economic impact of dementia. CONSOLIDATE Network Plus, meanwhile, is focused on supporting independence for people living with dementia, exploring how technology, community-based approaches and lived-experience-led scoping can shape the next generation of research priorities. Together, these sessions reinforced the importance of collaboration across disciplines and sectors, and added to an overall picture of a field that is increasingly outward-looking and willing to connect dementia research with broader questions of brain health, employment, independence, care systems and social change.

Across both days, one message emerged clearly: Scotland is home to a thriving, ambitious and deeply collaborative dementia research community. From prevention and brain health to clinical trials, care innovation, lived experience and emerging talent, the conference showcased research that is not only advancing knowledge but helping to shape a future in which people affected by dementia can live better lives. SDRC Conference 2026 was a powerful reminder of how much has already been achieved—and of the opportunities that lie ahead as Scotland continues to build a research community that is innovative, inclusive and grounded in impact.

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