Brain scans ‘can predict Alzheimer’s

BRAIN scans can be used to predict the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease in healthy adults, scientists revealed yesterday.

Chief researcher Dr Henry Rusinek, from New York University School of Medicine, said: "With our findings, we now know that the normal healthy brain undergoes a predictable shrinkage that can be used to help recognise Alzheimer's several years before clinical symptoms emerge."

The technique was almost 90% accurate, meaning that it correctly predicted memory impairment in nine out of 10 people. It also correctly identified 90% of those whose memory would remain normal for their age.