New Brain Imaging Reveals Arterial Pulses That May Signal Dementia Risk

Deep within the living brain, microscopic arteries pulse with each heartbeat in a rhythm that, until now, no instrument could faithfully read. Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed a noninvasive MRI technique that maps these tiny vascular pulses for the first time, revealing that the rhythm grows more forceful with age — and more so still in those with high blood pressure. In the long human struggle to understand why minds fade, this quiet mechanical signal may prove to be one of the earliest warnings we have ever been able to hear.