Thinning of brain region may signal dementia risk 5-10 years before symptoms
SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A ribbon of brain tissue called cortical gray matter grows thinner in people who go on to develop dementia, and this appears to be an accurate biomarker of the disease five to 10 years before symptoms appear, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (also called UT Health San Antonio) reported.
- Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio discover a possible biomarker indicating dementia risk well in advance.
- The California volunteers included 44% representation of Black and Hispanic participants, whereas the Massachusetts cohort was predominantly non-Hispanic white.
- While dementias can affect different brain regions, Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia impact the cortex, and Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia.
- "The relationship between thinning and dementia risk behaved the same way in different races and ethnic groups."