A new method, based on the analysis of MRI scans, makes it possible to establish the risk of dementia, particularly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, nine years in advance of diagnosis.
- A test, based on the analysis of functional MRI scans, can identify changes in a brain network typical of dementia.
- It is able to predict the risk of dementia with 80% accuracy.
- But it also saves time: it detects the disease nine years before diagnosis.
It may soon be possible to predict the risk of dementia. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a method to estimate the risk of developing dementia with more than 80% accuracy, nine years ahead of diagnosis. They present the new technique in Nature Mental Health.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: MRI scans to estimate risk
This new screening tool is based on the analysis of functional MRI scans. These tests make it possible to observe areas of the brain associated with specific functions such as vision, language or memory. In total, they worked on the functional MRI scans of more than 1,100 participants, taken from a large British medical database. The scientific team was interested in changes in what they call the “network in default mode” (DMN) of the brain.The DMN connects regions of the brain to activate specific cognitive functions and is the first neural network to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease.”they specify in a communicated.
Knowing the risk of dementia nine years before diagnosis
They assigned each patient a probability value for dementia using DMN analysis. Then they compared the predictions with the patients’ medical data.The results showed that the model accurately predicted the onset of dementia up to nine years before an official diagnosis was made, and with an accuracy of more than 80%.they conclude. In cases where volunteers developed dementia, it was also found that the model could predict with a margin of error of two years exactly how long it would take for that diagnosis to be made.”
The new test has another advantage: it is very quick and easy to perform.MRI is a non-invasive medical imaging tool and it takes about 6 minutes to collect the necessary data on a scanner”underlines Samuel Ereira, co-author of the study.
Identifying people who may benefit from dementia treatment
For Charles Marshall, neurologist and director of this research, these results are valuable for future research.Predicting who will suffer from dementia in the future will be vital to developing treatments that can prevent the irreversible loss of brain cells that causes the symptoms of dementia.he believes. Although we are better able to detect the brain proteins that can cause Alzheimer’s disease, many people live for decades with these proteins in their brains without developing symptoms of dementia.” He hopes that measuring brain function will allow for more accurate prediction of dementia risk and estimate when it will start, so that people who will benefit from treatment can be identified. According to theWorld Health Organization, More than 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia and there is currently no treatment to cure them.