Reduced brain volume may act as a clock for progression to early-onset dementia
In people diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, a biomarker tool that detects shrinkage of the brain's gray matter may predict how quickly someone may progress from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia, according to a new study published in Neurology.
A new study published in Neurology suggests that reduced brain volume, detected through a biomarker tool, may predict the progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to early-onset dementia. Early-onset Alzheimer's disease typically develops before the age of 65 and begins with MCI, which is characterized by memory and thinking problems that are greater than normal aging.
The study, led by Alexandra Touroutoglou of Harvard Medical School, introduces the "early-onset Alzheimer's disease signature," a brain scan biomarker that measures shrinkage in specific regions of the brain involved in thinking, such as memory, language, and reasoning. This biomarker, which includes eight key brain areas, was found to predict faster progression to dementia, with a person's risk of progression increasing by 1.24 times for every one standard deviation greater magnitude of shrinkage.
The biomarker proved to be more effective at predicting progression than simply looking at participants' symptoms at the beginning of the study. This research offers a potential tool for predicting when someone with early-onset Alzheimer's disease may lose independence and progress from MCI to dementia.
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