A study shows that a brain scan helps doctors determine who will develop dementia after reporting memory problems.

In positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, the biochemical activity of the brain can be assessed in real time. A new study from the University of California, Los Angeles, reveals that PET scans can reveal patterns of brain activity indicative of progressive dementia.

The researchers studied PET scans performed between 1991 and 1999 on 167 patients being evaluated for mild cognitive complaints such as memory loss, language problems and behavioral changes. Neurologists did an assessment of how the patient would progress over the next two to ten years.

When the results of the PET scan were added to this assessment, it became much more accurate. This is the first study to follow a group of patients long-term from their initial cognitive problem through several years of clinical monitoring. The findings show that PET scanning has an important role to play in the prediction of dementia after cognitive symptoms.

Source

Molecular Genetics and Metabolism November 2003