Mayo Clinic scientists have developed a new method to predict Alzheimer’s risk decades before symptoms appear, using brain scans and genetics to estimate a 10-year likelihood. This innovation, published in The Lancet Neurology, could revolutionize how the disease is detected and treated in the future.
The research draws on decades of data from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a long-running initiative that tracks thousands of participants over time. Led by Dr. Clifford Jack Jr., a radiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the team analyzed brain scans, genetic profiles, and medical records from over 5,800 adults to build a predictive model for cognitive decline.
Key proteins such as amyloid and tau, which form plaques and tangles in the brain, are early indicators of Alzheimer’s. The study demonstrates that measuring amyloid levels through advanced imaging can reveal the