New MRI Tool Predicts Dementia Risk Decades in Advance by Measuring Brain Aging

New MRI Tool Predicts Dementia Risk Decades in Advance by Measuring Brain Aging
———————————
Researchers from Duke University, Harvard, and the University of Otago have developed a groundbreaking tool that estimates how fast a person is aging using a single brain MRI scan, SciTech Daily reported. This innovative method can predict future risks of dementia and other chronic diseases years before symptoms appear, offering a crucial window for early intervention.

The tool, named DunedinPACNI, was trained on data from the Dunedin Study, a long-term health research project tracking over 1,000 individuals born in New Zealand in the early 1970s. By analyzing changes in various health markers over nearly 20 years, researchers created a score representing the aging rate. DunedinPACNI then estimates this score solely from brain MRI scans taken at midlife.

Studies across multiple populations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Latin America confirmed that faster brain aging correlates with poorer cognitive performance, accelerated hippocampal shrinkage, and a significantly higher risk of developing dementia. In one North American study, participants aging fastest were 60% more likely to develop dementia and experienced earlier memory decline.

Beyond brain health, faster aging also predicted increased frailty, higher rates of chronic diseases like heart attacks and strokes, and a 40% greater risk of death within several years.

The researchers believe DunedinPACNI could revolutionize early detection and treatment of age-related diseases, especially Alzheimer’s, by identifying risks before irreversible brain damage occurs. Further research is underway to translate this tool into clinical use, potentially transforming personalized aging risk assessment.