‘I must not fall asleep, even though I am tired and it’s a warm day’ … Phil Daoust has his brain scanned. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian
MCI does not always get worse; sometimes it can even be reversed, since the causes include sleep disorders, low blood pressure, hearing loss and severe constipation.MEG manager Sian Worthen attaches electrodes to Daoust’s head. Buzz Lightyear, on the right, is there to distract younger visitors.You’ll need to see a doctor to be diagnosed with MCI, but some of the descriptions sound all too relatable.
The same goes for the scan itself. Sian Worthen, who manages Meg for the Brain Centre, attaches a few wires to me, uses a digital pen to fine-tune a 3D model of my head, then settles me into my seat and slowly lowers Meg’s hood until it touches the top of my scalp, blocking most of my vision. A cross appears on a screen in front of me, the lights dim, and Worthen leaves the room and shuts the door.
It’s a similar story from Natalie Mackenzie: “average” in 11 areas, “above average” in one – grammatical or verbal reasoning. “Common everyday activities associated with verbal reasoning,” I learn, include “texting a clear description of an item to your partner so they can pick it up from the grocery store”. It’s nice to know who’s to blame when there’s no milk in the fridge.
There’s more good news from my dementia risk rating. “About 89% of dementia is, in our opinion, largely preventable,” Holford says.That’s a message that’s often forgotten. It certainly keeps slipping my mind. “Dementia is not a natural part of ageing,” the Alzheimer’s Society reminds us.
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