Catching Alzheimer's in Time
Catching Alzheimer's in Time
Pencil-and-Paper Test May Predict Alzheimer's
April 11, 2002 -- Although advances in genetic testing can help identify those at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests simple psychological tests may reveal equally valuable clues about when the devastating disease is preparing to strike. Two studies in the April issue of Neuropsychology suggest that psychological testing may provide experts with the tools to spot Alzheimer's long before symptoms emerge.
Until now, researchers say there have not been any reliable methods to diagnose the disease before the brain has already suffered major damage. Early detection would allow doctors to intervene with new therapies that might protect people from the brain-clogging damage that comes with Alzheimer's.
The first study found a simple pencil-and-paper test can detect the subtle cognitive changes that occur in Alzheimer's patients up to 10 years before noticeable symptoms start.
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego compared the results of cognitive skills tests completed by a group of 40 older adults, half of which were later diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
They found a big difference between the two groups in the tests that required people to name common items from pictures and use 3-D blocks to copy printed block designs (a test that measures a skill known as visuoconstruction). Both of these tests detect problems with asymmetries or irregularities in the brain.
The pre-Alzheimer's group had a significantly larger gap between their naming and visuoconstruction skills. And they had these gaps more often than the others.
Researchers say that while the start of Alzheimer's is generally marked by an overall decline in brain function, those people in the pre-Alzheimer's stages may show subtle changes in one area of cognitive function before the global decline occurs.
Compared to genetic testing that indicates a higher probability of developing the disease, the study authors say psychological testing can help indicate when it's time to start medication.
Another study in the same journal suggests people who have a certain genetic variation that puts them at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's may have problems with spatial attention and working memory that are similar to those found in patients with the disease.
Researchers say these people with the high-risk variation of the ApoE gene may lack a chemical in the brain that manages spatial attention and have difficulty shifting attention to different locations in a visual field or line of sight.
Study author Raja Parasuraman, PhD, of the Catholic University of America, and colleagues say studying attention and brain function in carriers of the high-risk ApoE variation may help researchers better understand the early stages of Alzheimer's and possibly lead to better detection methods.
Catching Alzheimer's in Time
Pencil-and-Paper Test May Predict Alzheimer's
April 11, 2002 -- Although advances in genetic testing can help identify those at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests simple psychological tests may reveal equally valuable clues about when the devastating disease is preparing to strike. Two studies in the April issue of Neuropsychology suggest that psychological testing may provide experts with the tools to spot Alzheimer's long before symptoms emerge.
Until now, researchers say there have not been any reliable methods to diagnose the disease before the brain has already suffered major damage. Early detection would allow doctors to intervene with new therapies that might protect people from the brain-clogging damage that comes with Alzheimer's.
The first study found a simple pencil-and-paper test can detect the subtle cognitive changes that occur in Alzheimer's patients up to 10 years before noticeable symptoms start.
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego compared the results of cognitive skills tests completed by a group of 40 older adults, half of which were later diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
They found a big difference between the two groups in the tests that required people to name common items from pictures and use 3-D blocks to copy printed block designs (a test that measures a skill known as visuoconstruction). Both of these tests detect problems with asymmetries or irregularities in the brain.
The pre-Alzheimer's group had a significantly larger gap between their naming and visuoconstruction skills. And they had these gaps more often than the others.
Researchers say that while the start of Alzheimer's is generally marked by an overall decline in brain function, those people in the pre-Alzheimer's stages may show subtle changes in one area of cognitive function before the global decline occurs.
Compared to genetic testing that indicates a higher probability of developing the disease, the study authors say psychological testing can help indicate when it's time to start medication.
Another study in the same journal suggests people who have a certain genetic variation that puts them at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's may have problems with spatial attention and working memory that are similar to those found in patients with the disease.
Researchers say these people with the high-risk variation of the ApoE gene may lack a chemical in the brain that manages spatial attention and have difficulty shifting attention to different locations in a visual field or line of sight.
Study author Raja Parasuraman, PhD, of the Catholic University of America, and colleagues say studying attention and brain function in carriers of the high-risk ApoE variation may help researchers better understand the early stages of Alzheimer's and possibly lead to better detection methods.
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