One in three cases of Alzheimer’s disease, the commonest form of dementia, could be prevented through lifestyle changes. This has enormous implications for Australia’s ageing population. Associate Professor Alison Canty does crucial research into diseases that cause dementia, with the aim of understanding their causes and improving prevention and treatment.

Dr Canty’s fascination for neuroscience was sparked while completing her Bachelor of Science at UTAS in 1997. ‘It was quite a generalist degree, but in third year I picked up a small unit on neurophysiology, which was by far the most interesting subject I’d studied. I couldn’t stop reading about it.’ This led to an ‘amazing’ Honours year with James Vickers (now Wicking Centre Director), after which her growing absorption in the field took her to study at Melbourne University, Sweden’s Karolinska Institute (home of the Nobel prize for Medicine and Physiology), and London’s Imperial College.

‘I found understanding how the nervous system functions and how the brain changes during the lifespan, absolutely fascinating. I had such a thirst for knowledge about it. The nervous system is the part of the body we know the least about, yet it’s one of the most important parts.’

Groundbreaking techniques for viewing the brain using live imaging have been central to Associate Professor Canty’s investigations. ‘When I first started my research career, this type of imaging was a dream we all had – as we looked down the microscope at stained sections of rat brains,’ she laughs. ‘To be able to see connectivity changes in real time, and to actually manipulate the neurons to see how they repair and regenerate and establish new circuits is incredibly exciting.

‘Now we can genetically engineer mice, choose the neurons we want to see, place a cranial window over the mouse brain, put the mouse under a special 2 photon microscope which looks deep into live tissue, and peer right into the brain to actually see the neurons and synapses working and changing.’

This research translates to human brains as most mammals’ brains have very similar structure and mechanisms. ‘We add a fluorescent tag into the mouse brain so you can see selected neurons. Now the mice are being used to study dementia and what happens as it progresses.’

Dr Canty moves well beyond the laboratory these days, although she still delights in looking down a microscope. ‘I’m involved more with the design of experimental work now, and also with the context and reasons behind the minutiae of lab work – understanding what’s happening to people. Also, I have a big role in educating people about dementia and the brain, including in the workforce. Most of our students are caregivers for those with dementia, and they also want to know more about how to care for their loved ones.’

Interacting with real people grounds her research, Dr Canty says, relating a ‘lightbulb moment’ as a student at a conference, where she observed attendees in wheelchairs due to spinal injuries, and realised this was why she was researching the spinal cord.

In 2010 Dr Canty returned to Hobart. ‘It’s the location. It’s beautiful. I love being outdoors, with the fresh air. It’s an affordable lifestyle, and my family is here. Plus there’s been a feeling of satisfaction having started my university education here as a teenager, then using my degree to travel the world to learn more, and bringing back all that experience to UTAS to foster that same feeling of curiosity and the excitement of discovery in the next generation of students and junior scientists.’

UTAS is also a world leader in dementia research. ‘In my particular field at UTAS there’s a good critical mass of people, which makes it easy to collaborate and work effectively. The Wicking Centre’s supportive culture makes it a very good working environment.’ And the excellent laboratory facilities are equipped for live imaging.

‘I’m inherently curious, wanting to find out what’s going on,’ says Dr Canty when asked what drives her. ‘Maybe as I get older I get more interested in diseases of ageing. But really it’s the excitement – the thrill of discovery. Seeing something for the first time. And filling in the gaps in our knowledge.

‘I want to make a difference, to make a valuable contribution that will help humanity. For me, it’s about closing the gap between the health span and the life span, and improving quality of life.’