A single brain scan taking a static snapshot of brain tissue volume can forecast future cognitive decline better than tracking brain shrinkage over time. This approach offers a practical way to identify people at risk for dementia by assessing their brain’s built-in structural reserve. The research was published in Cortex.

As people grow older, they can accumulate physical damage inside their brains caused by diseases like Alzheimer’s. Yet, individuals with similar amounts of this microscopic damage often experience vastly different levels of memory loss. Some older adults maintain relatively sharp thinking skills despite harboring the physiological hallmarks of dementia.

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