In TEDx Talk, Neuroscientist Shares Her Father’s FTD Story and Her Hope for Dementia Research Breakthroughs

Leila Allen TEDx Miami - FBLI

Leila Allen, PhD, of Florida International University (FIU), discussed the groundbreaking dementia research that she and her colleagues are performing with pig models and artificial intelligence during a recently published TEDx Talk.

Dr. Allen, the founding director of FIU’s Behavioral Neuroscience Program, also spoke about her late father’s diagnosis of behavioral variant FTD. Even though he showed symptoms such as “unusual yelling, combative outbursts, and angry behavior,” she said, her father’s dementia remained undiagnosed for five years.

Under her direction, FIU, in collaboration with the University of Missouri, has developed the country’s first pig model of Alzheimer’s disease. Although mouse models are far more common in laboratory settings, pigs are much closer in their physiology to humans, and thus are more useful in translational research.

FIU’s work with pig models, aided by artificial intelligence that detects even minute behavioral changes, can aid in earlier diagnosis of FTD and other dementias, Dr. Allen said. If FIU’s research is successful, future generations may be able to detect dementia in its nascent stages, and therefore be able to “access to support services that can help them take control of their condition, live independently for longer, and also plan ahead for themselves and their families,” she said.

“That’s why I’m on a mission to educate people about how science is addressing dementia,” she continued. “I see so much hope in our future.”

Dr. Allen delivered her talk last May, during the “Stories of Resilience” event held by TEDx Miami. Her full 11-minute talk was published on the TEDx Talks YouTube channel earlier in January.

Stay Informed

color-icon-laptop

Sign up now and stay on top of the latest with our newsletter, event alerts, and more…