Brain scan predicts dementia risk by reading brain’s ‘hidden ageing clock’
A new type of MRI scan detects how quickly someone is ageing and how likely they are to develop dementia long before symptoms might surface
A team of scientists from Duke University and Harvard University in the US, and the University of Otago in New Zealand, has just unveiled a new MRI-based tool that reads the brain’s “hidden ageing clock”.
The DunedinPACNI takes the front of its name from the Dunedin Study, a long-running health research project in New Zealand that began in 1972, while PACNI stands for Pace of Ageing Calculated from NeuroImaging.
It has been tracking 1,037 babies born in Dunedin from birth, continuing through their entire lives. Think of it as a 50-year time-lapse study on human health; it is often called “the world’s most detailed study of human development”.
The Dunedin Study’s value comes from the fact that it follows the same people over time. Researchers regularly collect detailed data on all aspects of their health – physical, mental and brain health, lifestyle, relationships, and even genetics.