Scientists develop new method that can predict dementia up to nine years before diagnosis, with 80% accuracy

Scientists have developed a new method that can predict dementia up to nine years before diagnosis, with 80% accuracy, according to recent research.

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 claim their method is superior to memory tests or measurements of brain shrinkage, which are two commonly used tools to diagnose dementia.

They believe 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.

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The team, led by Professor Charles Marshall, analysed 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.

Prof Marshall, who spearheaded the research team at Queen Mary's Wolfson Institute of Population Health's Centre for Preventive Neurology, stated: "Predicting