Early diagnosis can slow the progression of Alzheimer's .
Alzheimer's Donation
Donate Online Now
.
Memory problems have many causes, such as stress or depression, but they can also be an early sign of dementia. Annual physical and psychological exams showed that, while they were alive, 50 of the 141 had dementia. Upon death, a neuropathologist, who was unaware of the results of the clinical evaluation, analyzed each person's brain. The autopsies showed that about 85 percent of the individuals had evidence of at least one chronic disease process, such as Alzheimer's disease, strokes, Parkinson's disease, hemorrhages, tumors, traumatic brain injury or others. "We know that people can have Alzheimer's pathology without having symptoms," says Dallas Anderson, Ph.D., population studies program director in the NIA Neuroscience and Neuopsychology of Aging Program.
In a new thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet, scientists show that a neuropsychological memory test can predict the risk of dementia developing within three years. The test is useful for analysing learning abilities and memory. The patients who pass the test run a very low risk of developing dementia in the forthcoming three years. Those who perform below a certain threshold run a serious risk, even though other cognitive functions language skills, mental agility, and the ability to perceive pattern, shape and position might be normal. However, it is difficult to distinguish between high and low-risk patients when dealing with people with slightly impaired memories. In such cases, protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid can help to sort out which ones are in the risk-zone.
The thesis also shows that concentrations of a certain protein in the cerebrospinal fluid rise in direct proportion to the deterioration of cognitive functions in people who develop Alzheimer's disease. The study is the first in the world to reveal this correlation, which can help scientists to understand the mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease. The study is a response to people's generally increasing memory concerns and was designed to produce a method that would enable doctors and psychologists to distinguish between treatable memory problems and nascent dementia.
Alzheimer's Donation
Donate Online Now
.
Memory problems have many causes, such as stress or depression, but they can also be an early sign of dementia. Annual physical and psychological exams showed that, while they were alive, 50 of the 141 had dementia. Upon death, a neuropathologist, who was unaware of the results of the clinical evaluation, analyzed each person's brain. The autopsies showed that about 85 percent of the individuals had evidence of at least one chronic disease process, such as Alzheimer's disease, strokes, Parkinson's disease, hemorrhages, tumors, traumatic brain injury or others. "We know that people can have Alzheimer's pathology without having symptoms," says Dallas Anderson, Ph.D., population studies program director in the NIA Neuroscience and Neuopsychology of Aging Program.
In a new thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet, scientists show that a neuropsychological memory test can predict the risk of dementia developing within three years. The test is useful for analysing learning abilities and memory. The patients who pass the test run a very low risk of developing dementia in the forthcoming three years. Those who perform below a certain threshold run a serious risk, even though other cognitive functions language skills, mental agility, and the ability to perceive pattern, shape and position might be normal. However, it is difficult to distinguish between high and low-risk patients when dealing with people with slightly impaired memories. In such cases, protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid can help to sort out which ones are in the risk-zone.
The thesis also shows that concentrations of a certain protein in the cerebrospinal fluid rise in direct proportion to the deterioration of cognitive functions in people who develop Alzheimer's disease. The study is the first in the world to reveal this correlation, which can help scientists to understand the mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease. The study is a response to people's generally increasing memory concerns and was designed to produce a method that would enable doctors and psychologists to distinguish between treatable memory problems and nascent dementia.
posted by Valery Yermalitsky at
7:50 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home