Scientists find early signs of Alzheimer's

A SUBTLE change in a memory-making brain region seems to predict who will get Alzheimer's disease nine years before symptoms appear, according to the latest scientific reports.

The finding is part of a wave of research aimed at early detection of the deadly dementia - and one day perhaps even preventing it.

Researchers scanned the brains of middle-aged and older people while they were still healthy. They discovered that lower energy usage in a part of the brain called the hippocampus correctly signalled who would get Alzheimer's or a related memory impairment 85% of the time.