7T Brain Scans Reveal Potential Early Indicator of Alzheimer's

Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) are exploring the energy metabolism of the living human brain as a potential early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, reports Medical Xpress . The team developed a unique method for illustrating energy consumption and reserves in the brain with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy using an ultra-high-field 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The results published in Frontiers in Neuroscience suggest neurological energy metabolism might be weakened in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The MRIs focused on measuring ratios between the energy molecules adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (PCr), and inorganic intracellular phosphate. Scans of participants' temporal lobes found a correlation between the ratio of PCr to ATP and participants' cognition levels. "We believe this is the first paper to confirm that energy reserve decreases in MCI, in many cases, years before Alzheimer's disease sets in," said UT Dallas' Namrata Das. UT Dallas' Sandra Bond Chapman explained that "this research provides a promising new way to elucidate the brain's health — or early disturbance of its health — due to changes in metabolism. The new approach is the utilization of 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, a noninvasive, safe technology."