Using a new technology that relies on thousands of synthetic molecules to fish for disease-specific antibodies, researchers have developed a potential method for detecting Alzheimer’s disease with a simple blood test. The same methodology might lead to blood tests for many important diseases, according to the report published by Thomas Kodadek’s group at the Scripps Research Institute in the January 7th issue of the journal Cell. The new method relies on the notion that many [...]
Readers, Below is the first of a series of upcoming blogs reporting the news from ICAD, the International Conference on AD taking place this week in Hawaii. For the first time in 25 years, there is a proposal to change the criteria for Alzheimer’s disease, part of a new movement to diagnose and, eventually, treat the disease earlier. As readers will recall, Alzheimer’s is thought to begin years, perhaps even decades, before symptoms are noticeable. [...]
Scientists at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease 2010 (AAICAD 2010) today presented the first draft reports from three workgroups convened by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer’s Association to update the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease for the first time in 25 years. The current criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s were established by a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)/Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association (ADRDA) [...]
Building on their previous discovery that people with Alzheimer’s have beta-amyloid deposits that appear as unusual cataracts in the lens of the eye, a team of researchers led by Dr. Lee Goldstein at Boston University School of Medicine, has discovered that beta-amyloid also accumulates in the eyes of people with Down syndrome. Down syndrome patients develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease often by the age of 30 because they have an extra copy of a key [...]
Readers, The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) continues to provide us with greater and more detailed information about AD. For quite some time, we have known that the ApoE4 genotype leads to an increased risk of developing sporadic AD. Patients with the ApoE4 gene (carriers) typically develop Alzheimer’s disease five to seven years earlier than those without the gene (non-carriers). One or more copies of the ApoE4 gene are present in 20 percent to 30 percent of the [...]
Readers, Rarely a day goes by when we do not see several news items about the role of neuro-imaging in detecting, treating or monitoring the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Here are a few comments to bear in mind as you consume the daily press. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) yields an image of brain structure and will reveal tumors, strokes and (importantly for Alzheimer’s disease) atrophy (or shrinkage) in particular parts of the brain that can [...]
