The symposium “Dementia researchers of the future” was chaired by Iva Holmerová (Czechia), Fania Dassen (Netherlands) and Valentina Barrera (Switzerland). This special symposium was supported by the Alzheimer Europe Foundation, the INTERDEM Academy and Frontiers in Dementia. This session afforded a great opportunity for nine early-stage researchers, selected by our jury, to benefit from bursaries to attend and present at the conference. The selection of the bursaries was based on the best average scores each received from the jury members.
The nine presentations were:
• Examining the Key Correlates of Functional Impairment in Behavioural Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: Cognitive, Behavioral, Personality, and Brain Perfusion Contributions, by Electra Chatzidimitriou (Greece)
• Integrating Mild Behavioral Impairment into Dementia Prevention Strategies: A Telemedicine-Based Approach Aligned with WHO’s Global Action Plan, by Efthalia Angelopoulou (Greece)
• Longitudinal Trajectories of Sleep Disturbances and Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Evidence from a Three-Phase Study, by Areti Batzikosta (Greece)
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Theory Driven Person-Centred Disaster Preparedness Program for Family Caregivers of People Living with Dementia, by Özlem Çiçek Doğan (Türkiye)
• Art therapy and Alzheimer’s disease in Greece: Who influence(d)(s) whom? by Vaitsa Giannouli (Greece)
• Genetic predisposition for different aspects of dementia pathology and cognitive decline in a community elderly population, by Stefanos N. Sampatakakis (Greece)
• Diet quality modifies the risk of dementia conferred by AD pathology in older adults: a 15-year population-based study, by Anja Mrhar (Slovenia)
• Application of Positive Psychology Interventions in individuals with early-stage cognitive decline related to dementia: their impact on cognitive and brain functioning, by Dimitra Vasileiou (Greece)
• The well-being and lived care experiences of family caregivers of people living with dementia: the case study of Photovoice practice in Lithuania, by Ieva Petkutė (Lithuania).
At the end of the symposium, an award of EUR 2,500 by Frontiers in Dementia for the best quick oral presentation was presented to Efthalia Angelopoulou.