Functional MRI May Help Identify Those at Risk for Alzheimer's

A small study has indicated that fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) can detect differences in brain physiology long before people at risk come down with Alzheimer's. The study looked at genetic factors to see who was at risk, and then it used fMRI to identify multiple areas of the brain that differed in people with high-risk factors.

The mere fact of knowing that we can identify prospective sufferers way ahead of time should automatically steer scientists into researching more-preventive approaches--finding, for example, agents that can be used in medications to protect neurological systems. As with all things, when we open one door, the light comes in and we can see many more doors to open.