Early symptoms include forgetting things or recent events, getting lost or confused even in familiar places, problems following or making conversation, and feeling anxious or angry and exhibiting inappropriate behavior.

There is no cure for dementia, and as the condition progresses, the patient may not be able to recognize loved ones, move around, eat, drink, or control their bladder or bowels.

Now, researchers have suggested that a measure of how old a person’s brain appears on brain scans, compared with their actual age, may be a predictor for developing dementia at a later age, and may predict the risk years before doctors can see it.