Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and appropriate controls will be identified by consultants working with the patient group.~Potential participants will be approached by letter by their clinician. The purpose of this study will be explained to them and they will be asked for signed informed consent.~Communication between the clinical team and FFC-MRI research team will ensure that any appointment for FFC-MRI is made at a time that is convenient for the patient and clinical team.~The aim is to recruit 25 individuals with AD and 25 age matched controls.~FFC-MRI images will be acquired on dedicated equipment specifically built for the purpose of imaging human volunteers and patients. Where clinically appropriate patents will undergo other imaging procedures as part of their normal NHS care.~FFC-MRI will be compared standard clinical care data to identify regions of interest for quantitative analysis of FFC MRI data.~Anonymous personal information will be collected from the NHS patient records for stratification of the results (such as age, sex or relevant examination results)
Fast Field-Cycling MRI (FFC MRI) is a new scanning technology being developed at the University of Aberdeen. Previous pilot studies by the team on osteoarthritis, breast cancer, musculoskeletal cancer, liver fibrosis, thrombosis and muscle damage have demonstrated that FFC MRI provides useful information for clinical diagnostics in a variety of pathologies.~The aim of this study is to ascertain if brain imaging with FFC MRI yields any useful information in the diagnosis and evaluation of Alzheimer's disease.