Scientists say they have developed a new method that can predict dementia up to nine years before diagnosis, with 80 per cent accuracy. The test involves analysing the network of connections in the brain when it is in “idle mode” to look for very early signs of the condition. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London said their method is better than memory tests or measurements of brain shrinkage, two commonly used tools to diagnose dementia.
They said this technique has the “potential to fill an enormous clinical gap” by identifying people who are at risk of dementia and treating them before symptoms start to show. The team looked at brain scans from more than 1,100 people from UK Biobank, a database containing genetic and health information from half a million people in the UK. They examined the patterns of connections in a brain network called the default mode network (DMN), which kicks in when the brain is in idle mode – where the mind wanders and is not focused on a particular task.
The researchers developed a model that was able to predict which people in this group would go on to be diagnosed with dementia. Among the 103 people who had dementia, 81 had brain scans between five months and 8.5 years before being officially diagnosed.
Their brain scans showed less connectivity in the default mode network compared with those who did not go on to develop dementia, the findings showed. Professor Charles Marshall, who led the research team within the Centre f.
