Five-minute test identifies those at higher risk of dementia TEN years before first symptoms appear
By measuring how strong the blood flow was to the brain, experts found participants with the highest readings were 50 per cent more likely to suffer loss of brain power
A FIVE-minute test can detect those at highest risk of dementia – a decade before the earliest symptoms appear.
Experts found scanning blood vessels in the neck helped predict whether a middle-aged Brit would suffer rapidly declining brain power ten years later.
Loss of memory, concentration and language skills are all early signs of dementia.
Scientists from University College London carried out ultrasounds on nearly 3,200 people in their 40s and 50s, and then followed them up for 15 years.
The neck scan measured how strong the blood flow was to the brain.
Those with the highest readings were 50 per cent more likely to suffer loss of brain power over the next decade compared with the rest of the participants.
Each time the heart beats, it generates a “pulse” that travels around the body.
Healthy arteries cushion this impact, preventing it from reaching more delicate blood vessels.
But ageing and high-blood pressure cause them to stiffen, reducing the protective effect.
As a result, fragile vessels which supply the brain can be damaged by strong pulses and result in mini-strokes - fuelling dementia risk.
Scientists claim the test may offer a simple way of picking up those most likely to get the disease.
Although there is no effective treatment, adopting a healthy lifestyle and controlling blood pressure can help stave off dementia.
Dr Scott Chiesa, Post-Doctoral Researcher at UCL, presented the findings at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in Chicago.
He said: “We demonstrate the first direct link between the intensity of the pulse transmitted towards the brain with every heartbeat and future impairments in cognitive function [brain power].
“It’s therefore an easily measurable and potentially treatable cause of cognitive decline in middle aged adults which can be spotted well in advance.”
The team now plan to carry out MRI scans to see if they can detect any changes to participants’ brains.
Around 850,000 Brits have dementia and the figure is expected to hit one million with a decade.
Professor Metin Avkiran, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, which helped fund the study, said: “This test may provide a new way to identify people at risk of cognitive decline long before they display any noticeable symptoms.”
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Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “These results support what we know well – that what’s good for the heart is good for the head.
"But as the study focuses on decline in memory and thinking skills, it can’t tell us whether people with a higher intensity pulse go on to develop vascular dementia.”
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