A study published in Nature Mental Health has suggested that dementia could be detected many years before noticeable symptoms emerge by proactive brain scanning.
In the study, researchers used a scan of ‘resting’ brain activity to gauge whether people would go on to develop dementia. Researchers estimate 80% accuracy in such scans conducted up to nine years before a person receives a diagnosis.
Professor Charles Marshall, from Queen Mary University of London, says:
“We’ve known for a long time that the function of the brain starts to change many years before you get dementia symptoms. This could help us to be more precise at identifying those changes using an MRI scan that you could do on any NHS scanner.”
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You can read the study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00259-5