MRI for diagnosing dementia – update 2025

Abstract

Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a crucial role alongside clinical and neuropsychological assessments in diagnosing dementia. The recent and ongoing advancements in MRI technology have significantly enhanced the detection and characterization of the specific neurostructural changes seen in various neurodegenerative diseases, thereby significantly increasing the precision of diagnosis. Within this context of perpetual evolution, this review article explores the recent advances in MRI with regard to diagnosing dementia. Methods A retrospective literature review was conducted by searching the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases for the keywords “dementia”, “imaging”, and “MRI”. The inclusion criteria were scientific papers in English that revolved around the role of MRI as a diagnostic tool in the field of dementia. A specific time frame was not determined but the focus was on current articles, with an overall of 20 articles dating from the last 6 years (after 2018), corresponding to 55 % of the total number of articles. Results This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in the radiologic diagnosis of dementia using MRI, with a particular focus on the last 6 years. Technical aspects of image acquisition for clinical and research purposes are discussed. MRI findings typical of dementia are described. The findings are divided into non-specific findings of dementia and characteristic findings for certain dementia subtypes. This provides information about possible causes of dementia. In addition, developed scoring systems that support MRI findings are presented, including the MTA score for Alzheimer’s disease with corresponding illustrative figures. Conclusion The symbiosis of clinical evaluation with high-field MRI methodologies enhances dementia diagnosis and offers a holistic and nuanced understanding of structural brain changes associated with dementia and its various subtypes. The latest advances, mainly involving the emergence of ultra-high-field (7 T) MRI, despite having limited use in clinical practice, mark a pragmatic shift in the field of research.