Better Alzheimer's Screening

Ivanhoe Newswire
Thursday, December 21, 2006; 12:00 AM

By Lucy Williams, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Detecting Alzheimer's disease could one day be as easy as screening for cholesterol. A new type of brain scan technology could help detect biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.

"We might have a better approach to diagnosis earlier," lead author Gary Small, M.D., of University of California, Los Angeles, told Ivanhoe.

Positron emission topography (PET) imaging can detect deposits of abnormal brain proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. In the past, these tangles could only be detected and confirmed by autopsy results.

Researchers at UCLA administered cognitive tests to 83 participants. Twenty-five patients had Alzheimer's disease, 28 had mild cognitive impairment, and 30 had relatively normal brains, based on cognitive test results. Researchers injected participants with a chemical marker called FDDNP, which binds to plaque and tangle deposits associated with Alzheimer's. Participants then underwent PET scans. Those with higher cognitive decline based on cognitive tests also had higher FDDNP concentration in areas where abnormal brain proteins usually accumulate.

Researchers also developed a 3-D animation of the results. The buildup of the plaques and tangles almost identically mirrors autopsy findings indicating Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.

According to Dr. Small, autopsy studies show brain protein tangles build relatively early. People in their 30s have been found with tangles in the brain. Dr. Small said PET scans could do for Alzheimer's detection what cholesterol and blood pressure screening do for heart disease indication.

"You get your cholesterol checked, take your drug to lower your cholesterol so you can prevent a stroke or a heart attack," he said. "If we are able to develop effective drugs, one might get a brain check, take a medication or vaccine to prevent the buildup of these abnormal proteins, and prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease."