The number of people living with dementia is on the rise - over 800,000 people in the UK at the last count and that figure is expected to double by 2050. Dementia is the umbrella term to describe the serious deterioration in mental functions, with Alzheimer's disease the most common type.

The encouraging news is that there is a lot of promising research into the effective diagnosis and treatment of dementia, much of it being carried out by Welsh scientists.

In this week's programme Adam Walton travels to the LIGHT institute in Leeds, where Wrexham born Dr Heledd Griffiths is researching the roles played by two proteins, amyloid and prion, in the acceleration of the disease.Heledd lost her own father to dementia a few years ago and reveals how that experience has informed her work.

Also on the programme is Prof Julie Williams, from Cardiff University's School of Medicine, returning to Science Café to report on her work in identifying the genes that cause Alzheimer's disease. Last month she met with some of the world's other leading figures in the field, in a bid help share knowledge and speed-up the genetic fight against the disease. She reports back to Adam with the latest thinking.

While finding a cure is the ultimate aim, for people actually living with dementia it is often the care and treatments available to patients that are most important. We hear from the Bodlondeb Centre in Wrexham which is offering the latest therapies to its clients. boosting their mood and vastly improving their quality of life.

Links

Amyloid and Prion research project

LIGHT Institue Leeds

Bodlondeb

Prof Julie Williams Cardiff School of Medicine