New technique may detect early Alzheimer's

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Measuring the volume of part of the brain can predict with some accuracy which healthy adults will go on to develop memory loss.
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is the focus of much research activity at present. For early detection may allow for intervention with drugs that could delay or perhaps even prevent the disease.

Researchers at New York University now reveal that healthy adults who are going to experience memory loss later on experience a shrinkage in part of the brain dealing with memory and learning. They detected this shrinkage, using magnetic resonance imaging, long before any symptoms emerged.

The technique, which measures the volume of the medial-temporal lobe of the brain, was carried out in 45 people. It was 90 per cent accurate in determining who would, and who would not, develop memory problems in years to come. Further research is now needed to see if this early measurement could form the basis of a test for Alzheimer's disease before any symptoms appear.

Source
Radiology December 2003