Does memory screening help spot dementia, or harm?

Emory School of Medicine

Using a specially formulated imaging compound, Emory researchers can scan brains to look for deposits of beta amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. In the test, known as Positron Emission Tomography, or PET, beta amyloid shows up in red. In these images, the one on the left belongs to a 61-year-old woman with normal brain function. The image on the right, showing bright concentrations of red, belongs to a 64-year-old woman with clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s.