Changes in Brain Structure Can Predict Alzheimer's Years in Advance

Losses in the brain's gray matter are evident years before the first symptoms of Alzheimer's disease appear, shows research published in the most recent issue of Neurology.

Researchers performed brain scans and cognitive tests on 136 cognitively healthy individuals age 65 and older for five years. During this time, 23 subjects developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional phase between normal aging and Alzheimer's, and nine developed Alzheimer's disease. Comparing brain scans of these 23 to the others, researchers found subjects who developed MCI or Alzheimer's showed notable losses in areas of the brain including the amygdala, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex.

These changes were noted an average of four years before cognitive symptoms developed. While the connection between lower brain volume and Alzheimer's disease has been noted, this study is the first to identify structural changes and measure the time between them and memory loss.

Read more: Brain changes seen in Alzheimer's victims before memory loss - study
ABSTRACT: Brain structural alterations before mild cognitive impairment