Loading Curie Briefs...
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Your brain may be sending early Alzheimer's warnings long before the usual red flags show up. A new study in Nature Neuroscience found that changes in cortical thickness — detectable via MRI — can appear up to 7 years before amyloid-beta plaques become visible on PET scans. This could open the door to much earlier detection in cognitively healthy individuals.
Your brain may be sending early Alzheimer's warnings long before the usual red flags show up. Researchers from the University of Oslo published a study in Nature Neuroscience showing that changes in cortical thickness — measurable via MRI — can precede PET-detectable amyloid-beta (Aβ) positivity by several years in cognitively healthy older adults.
The team analyzed longitudinal MRI and Aβ PET data from three healthy cohorts, tracking individuals who later converted to amyloid-positive status. They found that a thicker cortex and reduced cortical thinning were detectable up to 7 years before amyloid conversion. Notably, some of these structural changes persisted even after accounting for quantitative amyloid levels — suggesting the cortical shifts may be partially independent of amyloid accumulation itself.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: This study pushes back the Alzheimer's detection window significantly. If structural brain changes can be spotted years before plaques form, MRI-based screening could become a powerful early-warning tool — potentially enabling earlier intervention before cognitive decline begins.
