Brain scan measures linked to cognition 10 years later
An observational study of 739 people linked measures from two brain regions to cognitive and behavioral function 10 years later.
10 years
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational study of 739 people, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the locus coeruleus and substantia nigra–ventral tegmental area, brain regions involved in cognition. Scan contrast in these regions predicted cognitive and behavioral function 10 years later, despite only weak associations with function at the time of scanning.
Lower locus coeruleus contrast at baseline was associated with higher five-year odds of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. The odds were 84% higher for each one-standard-deviation decrease in contrast. A standard deviation describes how widely measurements vary across participants. The authors interpreted the scan measures as markers of early brain degeneration.
Why it matters
The study addresses how early brain degeneration relates to the later course of Alzheimer’s disease, rather than just to current cognitive performance.
Caveats
This observational study cannot establish that changes in these brain regions caused later cognitive decline. The findings are from a preprint that has not been peer-reviewed.
- Mild cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer's disease
- Progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease
- Amyloid PET
- Dopamine receptor PET map
- Humans
The paper
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California
bioRxiv, Nov 2, 2026, Open access, CC BY, Preprint, not peer-reviewed
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