Research found levels of inflammation in people with Alzheimer’s disease are a powerful indicator of how aggressively their symptoms are likely to progress

Inflammation in the brain appears to play a larger role in different forms of dementia than had been thought, according to a study that raises hope for new types of treatment.

Cambridge University researchers found that by mapping the location of inflammation they could identify and distinguish three types of frontotemporal dementia, a condition that hits people as early as their thirties and affects about 16,000 in Britain. The scientists have also discovered that levels of inflammation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, are a powerful indicator of how aggressively their symptoms are likely to progress.

James Rowe says inflammation is seen before symptoms

James Rowe, of the university’s department of clinical neurosciences, said: “This research gives us a green light to explore anti-inflammatory strategies for dementia .