• For the first time, we compare local BBB integrity in two early dementia states. • BBB leakage is greater in mild-than in subjective-cognitive impairment. • Our dietary intervention did not affect microvascular integrity or brain volumes. For the first time, we compare local BBB integrity in two early dementia states. BBB leakage is greater in mild-than in subjective-cognitive impairment. Our dietary intervention did not affect microvascular integrity or brain volumes. The pathophysiology of dementia relates to leakage of the aging blood-brain barrier (BBB). Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI quantifies this leakage and may facilitate early diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Here, we present preliminary work comparing BBB leakage and T 1 between mild and subjective cognitive impairment (MCI and SCI) participants ( n = 6 and 17, respectively) after year-long consumption of a combined omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil capsules) and cocoa flavanol-3-ol (chocolate drops) dietary supplement or matched-control ( n = 1/5 MCI and 9/8 SCI). DCE-MRI data from white matter, grey matter, hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala were fitted with the Patlak model to obtain the permeability-surface-area product (PS), and pre-contrast T 1 was calculated. No differences were observed between intervention groups. After combining control and active groups, we observed greater leakage (PS) in the MCI hippocampus ( p = 0.019) and thalamus ( p = 0.042) versus SCI, and longer T 1 values in MCI white matter ( p = 0.042) and thalamus ( p = 0.023). This preliminary study indicates the potential utility of BBB leakage and T 1 in differentiating MCI and SCI. This should be investigated further in larger trials.
Sobhan et al. (2026) studied this question.