Scientists at the Kennedy Krieger Institute have made a promising discovery in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Their new study shows that a special type of MRI scan may help spot early signs of brain changes years before memory problems begin.
This could allow doctors to identify people at risk much sooner and start treatment earlier.
The study followed 158 older adults who showed no memory or thinking problems at the beginning of the research. Over the course of up to seven years, the researchers used a technique called quantitative susceptibility mapping, or QSM MRI, to scan their brains.
This scan helps detect iron levels in brain tissue, which is important because too much iron in the brain has been linked to damage and diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The scientists found that people who had higher iron levels in two specific parts of the brain—the entorhinal cortex and the putamen—were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment later. This condition is often a warning sign before Alzheimer’s disease.
These changes were seen years before any memory symptoms showed up. The results were especially strong for people who also had high levels of amyloid, a harmful protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Xu Li, who led the research, explained that these two brain areas are very important for learning and memory. “Our goal is to find changes in the brain long before memory loss begins,” said Dr. Li. “If we can spot these warning signs early, we can work toward stopping or slowing down the disease with the right treatments.”
There were three key findings in the study. First, the special brain scan was able to detect tiny iron-related changes in the brain years before memory problems began.
Second, these changes helped predict who would develop memory issues and how quickly their condition would worsen. Third, the risk was highest in people who also had buildup of the amyloid protein—one of the main signs of Alzheimer’s.
What makes this research even more important is that the scanning method they used—QSM MRI—is already available in many hospitals.
This means doctors might be able to use it as a routine part of checkups for people at risk of memory problems. It could also help researchers find the right people to join Alzheimer’s clinical trials and measure if treatments are working.
Dr. Li hopes that one day this tool will help families get answers earlier, so they can take action to improve care, try new treatments, and plan for the future. “This scan gives us a new way to see what’s going on inside the brain before Alzheimer’s takes over,” he said.
The research team at Kennedy Krieger will continue to study these brain changes to better understand how iron and other factors play a role in memory loss. Their goal is to one day prevent Alzheimer’s or at least slow it down through early detection and targeted treatment.
The study is published in Radiology.
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