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During the 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer ’s Disease
taking place in Chicago this week, scientists have explained that he faster we
are in discovering Alzheimer’s disease on time, the bigger the chances to slow
down the progress of the disease.
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease that is usually
detected long after the disease has started its progress, usually through
behavioral tests and brain scanning. There is no known cure for it, but
scientists are hoping that some day they will be able to delay its progress and
perhaps even stop it.
During the Chicago conference, several studies have revealed
an effective method to diagnose the disease in its early stages, based on magnetic
resonance imaging (MRIs) scans. Researchers have used MRIs to capture images of
brain plaques in rabbits. As they explained, lesions to these plaques are a
clear sign of Alzheimer’s, but unfortunately the only way to identify these lesions at this point
is by autopsy.
Scientists highlighted the fact that these widely available
MRI scanners could be the answer the medical community has been looking for in
diagnosing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Finding a non-invasive way
of spotting early signs of the disease represent an important step forward to
better understanding the mechanisms of the disease and the possible ways to
delay its effects.
In order to give a real chance to future treatments to slow
or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s, early detection becomes crucial,
researchers explained. Crossing from animal MRI scanning to human scanning will
not be a simple process, but it is not impossible.
In another study presented at the conference, a team of
scientists revealed a computer algorithm capable of comparing a 3D MRI scan
with a STAND, which measures the severity of fibrous tangles in the brain. The authors
of the study believe that the program is capable of distinguishing between a
normal brain and the brain affected by Alzheimer’s with high accuracy.
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