New brain scanner could speed up dementia diagnosis

A portable brain scanner being trialled in Kent could help speed up dementia diagnosis by bringing scans into local clinics rather than relying on hospital visits.

The low-field MRI machine is smaller, cheaper and more portable than traditional hospital scanners, potentially enabling quicker and more accessible assessments in community settings.

Led by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) with academic partners, the research is testing whether the scanners, enhanced by AI software, can match the image quality of standard MRI machines.

Modern MRI scanners usually require specially designed hospital rooms with specific power and cooling systems and are sensitive to vibrations and magnetic fields.

The low-field scanners can operate in standard clinical spaces but generate lower resolution images, which the AI enhances to diagnostic quality.

Professor Sukhi Shergill, director of research for KMPT and co-director of research at Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS), said the aim is to bring scanning closer to the population.

He said: “It’s a revolutionary kind of idea to go to put these low field scanners much more locally to people.

“It’s currently one of the biggest challenges we face in healthcare.”

He said the scanners could potentially reach “almost everybody in Kent” and may mark “a significant step forward in speeding up dementia assessments”.

Dr Joanne Rodda, senior lecturer at KMMS and consultant psychiatrist at KMPT, is researching the scanners’ ability to support early dementia diagnosis.

She said: “Low-field scanners could potentially be offered more widely, like in community memory clinics, providing more timely results, improving patient experience.”

The collaboration between KMPT, KMMS and Canterbury Christ Church University is among the first in England where an NHS trust owns and trials this type of technology.

If successful, the technology could allow memory assessments to take place in neighbourhood clinics rather than centralised hospital departments—especially helpful in rural areas where travel can be difficult for older patients.

The research team is assessing whether the combination of portable scanners and AI can offer diagnostic quality comparable to traditional MRI, while expanding access and reducing cost.