Abstract #2611

A Method for Evaluating Whole Brain Health of the Aging Brain: Assessment of Multiple MRI Detectable Brain Changes using the Brain Atrophy and Lesion Index (BALI)

Lukas A. Grajauskas¹, Tory Frizzell², Hui Guo³, Caressa Liu², Ryan C.N. D'Arcy², and Xiaowei Song³

¹Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, Canada, ²Faculty of Applied Science, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, Canada, ³ImageTech Laboratory, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, BC, Canada

As our population ages, there is a need for better methods of assessing neurodegeneration. However, current methods are based on a diagnostic model and assess changes in isolation, failing to account for the interconnected nature of the brain and the heterogeneity of the aging process. To address this, we introduced the Brain Atrophy and Lesion Index (BALI) an MRI based tool for the assessment of structural neurodegeneration across the whole brain. Here, we compare results from eight datasets to which BALI was applied (n=3295), and present a literature review to understand consensus regarding the brain changes assessed by the BALI.

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