(MUSIC)
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Among older people, Alzheimer’s is the most-common form of dementia - the loss of abilities needed to have a normal life. Other mental conditions may seem like Alzheimer’s. Those conditions need medical treatment that is different from treatment for Alzheimer’s. A correct diagnosis, or identification, is important.
The best way to diagnose the disease has been a medical examination of the brain after a person dies. Doctors say methods to test the living have presented problems, like high costs. One such method is an MRI or magnetic resonance imaging. Another imaging test is Positron Emission Tomography, also known as PET. It makes scans or pictures that doctors can study.
JUNE SIMMS: Researchers know that people’s brains start changing ten to fifteen years before they show signs of Alzheimer’s disease. That is why they are exploring ways to test people early so they can delay, or someday even stop, the progress of the disease.
Madhav Thambisetty is with the National Institutes of Aging, part of America’s National Institutes of Health. Dr. Thambisetty led a study that used a blood test to measure levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. The test could be given to seemingly healthy people before any signs – or symptoms - of Alzheimer’s appear.
DR. MADHAV THAMBISETTY: “We’re looking for blood proteins that might be indicative of the extent of brain damage that we know occurs very early on in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25