Ten-minute brain scan could detect dementia early, study suggests

The scan measured correlations in activity between different regions of the brain. Photograph: haydenbird/Getty Images

A 10-minute brain scan could detect dementia several years before people develop noticeable symptoms, a study suggests.

Scientists used a scan of “resting” brain activity to identify whether people would go on to develop dementia, with an estimated 80% accuracy up to nine years before people received a diagnosis. If the findings were confirmed in a larger cohort, the scan could become a routine procedure in memory clinics, scientists said.