The onset of dementia could be predicted almost a decade before symptoms appear using a new test that researchers hope could lead to earlier support and improved treatments. The test, developed by an international research team was created by analysing MRI scans to detect changes in some parts of the brain.
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00:00The diagnosis is done through some medical tests, for example, taking blood tests, so
00:09which can, with some accuracy, can tell about the presence of how much disease is there.
00:20And so tell us about the test that your team has developed.
00:25So we are developing a test which is using brain scans.
00:30So what we're doing is this, we are using these brain scans of people when they don't
00:38have the symptoms, and then we use these brain scans to predict the dementia up to nine years
00:47before it is officially diagnosed.
00:50So nine years is a good heads up.
00:53Should treatment then conceivably begin earlier for that patient?
00:59That's absolutely correct.
01:00So currently, most of the clinical trials and treatments are focused on when the symptoms
01:09are manifesting.
01:11And that's too late because a lot of brain cells have millions, billions of them have
01:17damaged, have been already been damaged.
01:20So the earlier that we can start treatment, it will be better.
01:29And this new method using MRI scans, how would people know to get the scan in the first place?
01:35I mean, do you anticipate it being made available to particular groups like people who've maybe
01:40been identified as being at greater risk of dementia?
01:44Absolutely, that's correct.
01:46So people who are at high risk because they have a family member who has dementia, some
01:57people may have other polygenic risk associated.
02:02So these could be the people that the doctors might want to prescribe that they take a brain
02:12scan so we can predict if they will develop dementia much earlier in time.
02:22And Adil, I know this is a very new test that you've developed, but I'll ask the question
02:26that I know many people watching will have, especially those who are concerned that maybe
02:31they are at particular risk.
02:33Do we have a sense of how long it will be until these tests are made available?
02:39So these new tests, we are hoping that they should be within two to five years.
02:47So there is still some work to be done, more validation required.
02:54But this is significant at this point that we can do this.
03:00So we are hoping not a very long turnaround.
03:05Just how significant is the problem of dementia in Australia?
03:09Currently, dementia is the leading cause of death in women in Australia and second leading
03:18cause of death in men.
03:22So it's substantial, it's substantial.
03:27The economic burden is immense.
03:33The demands on the carers is immense.
03:37It's just not the patient themselves, but people around them.
03:41So it's, we are aging nation as well.
03:46So it's substantial.
03:49It's a significant amount of both economic and social benefits such a test can bring.
03:59Wow, leading cause of death for women and second leading for men.
04:02It just goes to show what an important issue this is and how important developments like
04:07this new test that can predict so much earlier whether someone might develop the condition.
04:11We'll leave it there, Adil Razi.
04:12Thank you so much for speaking to the ABC News Channel today.
04:16Thank you, Robyn.
04:17Thank you.
04:19Thank you.