Brain scans may one day be used to predict dementia

Brain scans may one day be used to predict dementia.

Using brain scans, researchers were able to monitor mental decline over a two-year period in people without dementia and even predict the disorder before it happened, according to a new report.

Scientists may one day be able to use brain scans to track the effectiveness of medications designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease. This brain-robbing disorder currently has no cure, and its progression cannot be halted by medication either. The scans can detect a chemical marker developed by the researchers that binds to plaques – a kind of brain gunk – and “tangles,” which are both linked to Alzheimer’s disease.