Alzheimer's test developed

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Amyloid beta protein accumulates in the brain in Alzheimer's disease but whether the body produces too much or cannot break it down is unclear.
But by labelling the protein with a carbon isotope, doctors can measure the rate of turnover, a report in Nature Medicine suggests.
Experts said the test could help improve diagnosis and treatment.
Doctors are already able to measure amounts of amyloid beta protein - or abeta - in the cerebrospinal fluid but that doesn't indicate why the build-up is occurring.
By working out whether the body is producing too much or is unable to break it down, researchers develop drugs too accurately target the right process.

Furthermore, the test may also prove useful in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's prior to the onset of clinical symptoms.
The team at the Washington School of Medicine gave eight healthy volunteers an intravenous infusion which contained an amino acid - Leucine - that had carbon molecules with one extra neutron.
They then took samples of cerebral spinal fluid - the fluid that surrounds the brain - over a period of 36 hours.
The body uses amino acids to form proteins so the researchers were able to measure how the carbon isotope was taken up in the production of amyloid beta protein and then how long it took to break the labelled proteins down.