Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is very difficult an in many cases impossible in some patients. Alzheimer’s disease will often have started progressing years prior to any outward symptoms are displayed, making it difficult for physicians to diagnose Alzheimer’s and design interventions.
Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease has been the focus of several research initiatives. It is hoped that this research will allow for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and eliminate confusion associated with other brain disorders that may be caused by strokes or even drug reactions.
One area of research focusing on the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Scientists in this research program have made enough comparisons between images from scans and autopsies that they understand changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Another group from the University of California have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in their work on the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. They have discovered changes in the brain’s memory regions that offer measures of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have evaluated measurable levels of a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease in assessing the risk of developing the disease and losing brain volume later in life. It is hoped that a routine test can be developed to provide early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
With the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease being made possible by such research, patients may begin receiving treatments much ealier. Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease will hopefully lead to finding drugs that can halt the progression of the brain disease.
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