Prof Nick Fox on diagnosis, scans and family risk | Inside Dementia: Expert Dialogues Eps 6

Why do so many people wait so long for a dementia diagnosis, and what can research do to change that? Professor Nick Fox, Director of the Dementia Research Centre at UCL Queen Square, joins Professor June Andrews to talk about diagnosis, brain scans and what family history really means for your risk. In this episode of Inside Dementia: Expert Dialogues, Nick explains why "dementia" on its own is not a diagnosis, why everyone should have an MRI scan under national guidelines, and why too few people get one. He also shares new research, supported by Dementia Research UK, showing that a standard MRI scan can be accelerated from around 30 minutes to six or seven minutes without losing accuracy, which could help far more people get a scan. The conversation explores: Why Nick estimates one in three people with dementia never receive a diagnosis. The difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and why a specific diagnosis matters. MRI scans, the UK's shortage of scanners, and why scans are needed for new treatments. How blood tests could transform the way Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed. Age, genetics and what family history means for your own risk. Difficult conversations with children about inherited dementia. How flexible donor funding helped make ultra-fast MRI research possible. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introducing Professor Nick Fox 01:25 Why getting a diagnosis is still so hard 03:21 Specialist referrals and inherited dementia 04:26 Is there any point in a diagnosis? 05:22 Dementia, Alzheimer's and why a specific diagnosis matters 06:46 Brain scans and the NICE guidelines 07:32 The UK's shortage of MRI scanners 08:22 Blood tests and the proteins behind Alzheimer's 08:52 Age and dementia risk 09:39 Inherited dementia and family history 10:38 Talking to children about family risk 12:26 How donor funding makes a difference 13:17 Ultra-fast MRI: from 30 minutes to seven 15:02 Democratising dementia diagnosis EXPLORE THE RESEARCH Learn about the work Dementia Research UK supports at the UCL Dementia Research Centre: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/... Discover our Research for Every Step campaign: https://demruk.org/campaigns/research... ABOUT THE SERIES Inside Dementia: Expert Dialogues brings Professor June Andrews together with expert guests to explore research and practical work that can improve life for people affected by dementia. Subscribe to Dementia Research UK for more conversations, and share this episode with someone who is waiting for a diagnosis, worried about their family history or wants to understand more. --- ABOUT DEMENTIA RESEARCH UK We fund the science that will one day beat dementia, and the services that help people today. https://demruk.org/ https://demruk.org/donate #Dementia #Alzheimers #InsideDementia