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- Talking to a Loved One With Alzheimer’s
- 10 Powerful Ways to Commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
- Making the Most of Mealtimes for People With Alzheimer’s
- Family Members Provide 100 Hours a Month of Unpaid Care for Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers Should Be Screened for Depression
- Alzheimer’s Care Costs Far More Than Heart Disease or Cancer Care
- Obesity at Midlife May Speed Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hello from my mom
- Easing the Behavior Problems of Alzheimer’s Without Drugs
- When Alzheimer’s Leads to Legal Wrangles
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- Daytime Sleepiness May Be Early Warning Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Disease Increases the Risk of Falls
- High Blood Sugar Tied to Memory Decline
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Gets Closer
- Worried About Your Memory? Alzheimer’s May Not Be to Blame
- Brain Changes of Menopause May Promote Alzheimer’s
- Predicting Who Will Get Alzheimer’s
- Personality Changes Are Not the Earliest Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Midlife Heart Problems Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
- Anemia Tied to Mild Cognitive Impairment Risk
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- Music May Ease the Anxiety of Alzheimer’s
- Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug, Intepirdine, Disappoints in Study
- An Eye Scan for Alzheimer’s?
- Drug to treat Alzheimer’s is Ranked Highest
- Patients Often Fail to Adhere to Alzheimer’s Drug Schedules
- Could Treatments for Diabetes Help Treat Alzheimer’s?
- Pharmacists Can Aid in Alzheimer’s Care
- Two-Drug Combo May Ease the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Are New, More Effective Alzheimer’s Drugs on the Horizon?
- Nasal Spray Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Treatment
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- Eat Fish, Fruit, Vegetables and Nuts for Brain Health
- Beet Compound Shows Promise Against Alzheimer’s
- A Single Night of Not Sleeping Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Should Alzheimer’s Patients Drink Coffee?
- Can a Salad a Day Help Keep Memory Sharp?
- Fitness in Midlife Tied to Lower Dementia Risk in Old Age
- Doctor’s Orders: Exercise for the Sake of Your Brain
- Positive Beliefs About Aging May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s
- Brain Training May Help to Ward Off Dementia
- How Art Can Aid People With Alzheimer’s
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- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
- Fisher Center Scientists make two new Significant Discoveries in the battle against Alzheimer’s
- Dementia Rates Are Slowing, but Alzheimer’s Cases Continue to Rise
- Fisher Center Scientists Create a Novel Imaging Technology Allowing the 3D Visualization of Brain Defects That Cause Alzheimer’s Disease
- Negative Beliefs About Aging Could Prime the Brain for Alzheimer’s
- Recognizing Faces Is a Challenge for Those With Alzheimer’s
- Fisher Center Scientists Discover Pathway That may Lead to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Move Closer to Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
- Can Vitamin E Slow Alzheimer’s Decline?
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- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
- Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach, dies at 64
- Celebrating the life of Nancy Reagan for her Impact on the Fight to end Alzheimer’s
- WRNN Interview
- Fisher Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and recent activities
- Featured on NASDAQ’s Billboard
- Online Chat on Reddit.com with Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard
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Spinal Tap May Help Detect Alzheimer’s Early
A protein found in the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord may help detect Alzheimer’s at an early stage, when treatment may be most effective.
“Being able to identify who will develop Alzheimer’s disease very early in the process will be crucial in the future,” said study author Robert Perneczky, M.D., of the Technical University Munich in Germany. “Once we have treatments that could prevent Alzheimer’s disease, we could begin to treat very early and hopefully prevent the loss of memory and thinking skills that occurs with this devastating disease.”
The researchers followed 58 people with mild cognitive impairment, a serious form of memory loss that sometimes progresses to Alzheimer’s disease. Measurements of the protein, called soluble amyloid precursor protein beta, or APP-beta, along with other measures was about 80 percent effective in predicting who went on to develop Alzheimer’s. The findings appeared in the journal Neurology, from the American Academy of Neurology.
All the participants underwent a spinal tap, also called a lumbar puncture, at the start of the study. The procedure involves the insertion of a needle in the lower back, using local anesthesia, to withdraw fluid from the spinal canal. Several proteins in the fluid were measured.
After three years, spinal taps were again done. At the time, 21 participants had developed Alzheimer’s disease, 27 still had mild cognitive impairment, two had developed a form of dementia other than Alzheimer’s, and eight had reverted back to healthy cognitive functioning.
Those men and women who developed Alzheimer’s had significantly higher levels of APP beta in their spinal fluid – 1,200 nanograms per milliliter of spinal fluid on average — than those who did not develop the disease — 932 nanograms per milliliter.
Measurement of soluble amyloid precursor protein beta, along with consideration of the patient’s age and levels of another protein called tau that collects in the brain in those with Alzheimer’s, predicted about four of every five people who would go on to develop Alzheimer’s. The results suggest that the soluble precursor protein “may be useful and superior to the established marker,” a protein called beta-amyloid, in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Perneczky said.
One reason why the precursor protein may be a better test than current methods is that it appears to be a very early step in the Alzheimer’s disease process. Therefore, it could be a good measure for detecting the earliest stages of the disease.
However, more work needs to be done to confirm the results. Scientists continue to study other markers and brain scans that may allow for early and more accurate Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Much more research needs to be done to confirm results and perfect techniques before doctors will be able to offer such tests routinely in the doctor’s office.
By ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer, Ph.D., Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source: Perneczky R, et al “CSF soluble amyloid precursor proteins in the diagnosis of incipient Alzheimer disease” Neurology 2011; Vol. 77: pages 35-38, June 22, 2011.