PORTLAND, Ore., April 28 (UPI) -- The rate of brain volume loss may help doctors predict whether a patient will develop dementia before they even start showing signs of the disease.
The study was conducted by researcher at the Layton Center for Aging & Alzheimer's Disease Research in the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine's Department of Neurology.
They found rates of brain volume loss may help identify patients with mild cognitive impairment who are at high risk of developing dementia. The discovery could help doctors plan early treatment and prevention.
Joseph Quinn, study co-author and assistant professor of neurology and cell and developmental biology, called the findings "very important."
"The measurements can be used to both screen people for prevention studies and to monitor the effects of intervention," he said.
The study was presented this week during the 56th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Francisco.
