Study shows faster MRI scans could be used to diagnose dementia
University College London (UCL) has published a study, part funded by Alzheimer’s Society’s Heather Corrie Impact Fund, that has shown shorter MRI scans (one third of the standard length) could be used to diagnose dementia.
The team behind the ADMIRA study (Accelerated Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Alzheimer’s disease) scanned 92 people in an outpatient setting where an MRI brain scan was planned as part of their routine clinical assessment. They found that the quicker method reduced time in the scanner by 63% and the images were as reliable as standard scans for diagnosis and visual ratings.
Senior author Professor Nick Fox, Director of the UCL Dementia Research Centre at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, says:
“As more treatments that can slow or change the course of dementia are being developed, it’s important to make sure MRI scans are available to everyone. To help make this possible, our team carried out the first study looking at how new imaging techniques – called parallel imaging – could speed up MRI scans in clinics. Their goal is to move closer to a future where every person with dementia can get a diagnosis through a scan.”
Find out more here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oct/faster-mri-scans-offer-new-hope-dementia-diagnosis