Middle-aged to be told 'brain age' in war on dementia The computer-based test will be piloted by GPs in the next few months, and if successful, will be rolled out to practices across England. Officials said they hope to make it part of a system of health checks which are already offered to everyone between the age of 40 and 74. Dr Charles Alessi, PHE lead on dementia, will present details of the screening tool being developed with University College London, to a G7 convention on dementia in Tokyo this week. He said officials hoped to harness the public's fear of dementia to make people take action to reduce their risk. Dr Alessi, said: "Dementia is going through that phase where people are very scared of it - but you can use the fact they are willing to change their behaviour because they are scared of it to enable to make that change take place." The GP said the "personalised tool" would help patients to act on overwhelming evidence that lifestyle changes could reduce their chance of dementia. He said: "It's become clear that actions to tackle smoking, drinking, sedentary behaviour and poor diet could really reduce the risk of dementia in later life." The tool compares the rate of brain aging compared to the actual age of the individual. We would have something that would assist people in managing their own behaviour. The computer-based programme makes calculations based on the answers to questions about habits such as exercise, drinking, smoking and weight, combined with clinical data on blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It means a man in his 40 who enjoys a daily drink, little exercise, and smokes, could be told that his brain is ageing at 1.5 times the speed of the normal ageing process - so that his brain is functioning at the level of a 60-year-old. The health official, aged 60, said that his own experiments with the prototype had found that a really poor lifestyle could give him a "brain age" of 96. He said giving people an actual estimate of the age of their own brain gave them a "potent health message" to act on. "The more you personalise a message, the more people listen to it," he said. It's harder to run away from the facts if you are being told this is your actual risk, not the overall risk in the population. After being given an assessment of their risk, patients would be able to see how making changes - such as stopping smoking, or reducing alcohol intake, could reduce their "brain age" and dementia risks. "You can see the potential for individuals to take control of their own lives," he said. Dr Alessi, a GP in south west London, said officials want to do more to encourage people to reduce their risk factors much earlier in life. Making lifestyle changes to reduce the chance of dementia would also reduce the chance of other major diseases, such as type two diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, he said. Roger Goss, from Patient Concern, said: "This is heavy-handed and intrusive, not only could this frighten people, on the basis of spurious forecasts, but this sort of approach could people off seeking help from their GP when they need it." These kinds of ideas are outrageous - people don't want to be nagged by their doctor into changing their lifestyle, these are the choice we make as individuals, and GPs should be there when we go to them for help, not forcing this stuff down our throats. In July landmark research quantified the impact of lifestyle on dementia, identifying exercise as the most significant protection against the condition. The study by Cambridge University found those who did not achieve three 20-minute bursts of vigorous exercise per week, such as jogging or football, or five 30-minute sessions of moderate activity, such as walking were 82 per cent more likely to go on to develop dementia. Obesity in mid-life increased the risks of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease by 60 per cent, while high blood pressure raised the threat by 61 per cent. Smoking increases risks by 59 per cent, while diabetes increased risks by 46 per cent. Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chair of the British Medical Association's GP committee said he was not convinced the screening would give an accurate reflection of the chance of developing dementia. "Giving someone's brain age in relation to their natural age doesn't necessarily mean they are likely to develop dementia any earlier," he said. "We'd need to really look at the research evidence and understand if there is any basis for this supposition," he said. Jeremy Hughes, chief executive at Alzheimer's Society, said the charity was working with PHE to develop the tools. But he said that for those who were worried about their memory, their priority was quick assessment and timely access to good care and support. Last month health officials introduced a new scheme which means GPs will be paid £55 for every extra patient diagnosed with dementia in the next five months. Leading doctors said the initiative was an "ethical travesty" but officials insisted the scheme was necessary to boost low rates of diagnosis in this country, with just half of patients with dementia receiving a diagnosis.