Detecting small brain shrinkage in Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia
Robust detection of atrophy over short intervals in AD and FTLD
New fast MRI methods aim to spot small amounts of brain shrinkage within months in people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease or behavioral frontotemporal dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307128 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join this work, researchers will take frequent, very precise MRI scans to measure tiny changes in brain size over short periods, sometimes as little as three months. They will combine many quick repeated measurements at each visit to improve accuracy and compare these results to standard yearly MRI measures as well as PET scans and clinical tests. The team is focusing on people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia to show the methods are reliable and match other markers of disease. The goal is to make it possible to detect and track neurodegeneration faster than current approaches.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease or behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia who can undergo repeated MRI (and possibly PET) scans over several months.
Not a fit: People without dementia, those with advanced disease who cannot tolerate repeated scans, or individuals unable to travel to the study site may not directly benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these methods could let doctors and researchers detect brain shrinkage earlier and track disease progression more quickly and accurately.
How similar studies have performed: Traditional MRI measures usually detect atrophy over year-long intervals, and while some rapid-measure approaches have shown promise, this high-frequency, highly precise MRI approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dickerson, Bradford C — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Dickerson, Bradford C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.