Trouble remembering whether you had switched on the iron or put on the kettle for a hot cuppa? Earlier, these brain changes would be the reason to put you under the scanner to test for dementia. Now, there’s a new brain imaging predictor to detect the onset of dementia in people who are not even aware they are at risk. A team of scientists at the University of Toronto and Baycrest Rotman Research Institute (RRI), Canada, analysed the performance of 40 older adults aged between 59 and 81, who scored below the normal benchmark on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment dementia screening test. The experts found less brain tissue in the part of the brain where Alzheimer’s originates within these adults. The discovery might just be a step towards developing a new therapy to treat or slow the disease. The study was published in journal Neurobiology of Aging.

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Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
August 2017