Tracking signs of memory loss

As minor forgetfulness progresses until names and faces blur, a person might be told that he or she probably has Alzheimer’s disease–but a definitive diagnosis awaits an autopsy showing the characteristic presence of beta-amyloid plaques clogging the brain. Now, researchers report that brain scans tracking a new compound can highlight these plaques in living people undergoing early stages of disease, when therapies may be most effective at staving off future memory loss.