Five-minute scan to test for dementia

A five-minute scan of blood vessels in the neck during mid-life could become part of future dementia screening, researchers have suggested.

If confirmed in larger studies, the scan – which predicts cognitive decline 10 years before symptoms appear – could become part of routine screening for people at risk of developing dementia.

The research, which is being presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in Chicago, was led by University College London (UCL).

Researchers said that as the heart beats, it generates a physical pulse that travels around the body.

The study saw the team analyse a group of 3,191 middle-aged volunteers who were given an ultrasound in 2002, which measured the intensity of the pulse travelling towards their brain.

Over the next 15 years, they monitored the participant’s memory and problem-solving ability.

Participants with the highest intensity pulse (top 25%) at the beginning of the study were around 50% more likely to exhibit accelerated cognitive decline over the next 10 years compared to the rest.

Cognitive decline is often one of the first signs of dementia.