Certain changes in a part of the brain stem, visible in scans, might be a potential early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.
Using different brain imaging techniques, researchers found that lesser “integrity” in the brain stem region was linked to a faster decline in memory and thinking in older adults, as well as certain brain changes seen in early Alzheimer’s.
The research—published Sept. 22 in the journal Science Translational Medicine—is the latest in a broad effort to find “biomarkers” that could aid in earlier Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Biomarkers are things that can be measured to reliably detect a disease—a substance in the blood or a brain scan finding, for…
