Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a computer program that has tracked the manner in which different forms of dementia spread within a human brain.

Their findings, published in the March 22 issue of Neuron, could help patients and their families confirm a diagnosis of dementia and prepare in advance for future cognitive declines over time.

"What is new and really quite remarkable is the network diffusion model itself... "This provides a very simple explanation for why different dementias appear to target specific areas of the brain." - Ashish Raj, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science in radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and the study's lead researcher