Researchers from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas are investigating a potential new early indicator of the decline toward Alzheimer’s disease: measuring the energy metabolism of the living human brain using cutting-edge imaging techniques.
The scientists devised a unique way to illustrate energy consumption and reserves in the brain with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy using an ultra-high-field 7 Tesla MRI scanner. Their results suggest that neurological energy metabolism might be compromised in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the stage of decline between healthy aging and more serious…