Early
treatment can make a huge difference in quality of life
Early
signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected years before diagnosis, according
to researchers at Birmingham City University.
The
study found that sufferers of a specific type of cognitive impairment have an
increased loss of cells in certain parts of the brain, which can be vital in
detecting which patients will progress to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
A team of researchers from Birmingham City University (UK), in association with colleagues from Lanzhou University (China) and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, conducted a brain scan analysis over two years, of patients suffering from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) -- a condition involving the diminishing of cognitive abilities, from which 80% of patients progress to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
Scans
showed that the loss of grey matter in the left hemisphere of the brain was
particularly widespread and degenerative for those patients at high risk of
developing Alzheimer's, compared with those with no active neurological
disorders.
This
region of the brain has been associated with language, decision making,
expressing personality, executing movement, planning complex cognitive
behaviour and moderating social behaviour.
One
of the researchers involved in the study, Professor Mike Jackson, from Birmingham
City University, said: "Continuous loss of cells within the regions of the
brain highlighted in this study should act as alarm bells for doctors, as they
may indicate that the patient is on course to developing Alzheimer's."
The
brains parahippocampal gyrus, a region which is known to be related to memory
encoding and retrieval, was highlighted as an area that should be looked at
carefully when examining brain scans to detect early signs of the disease.
Treating
Alzheimer's early is thought to be vital to prevent damage to memory and
thinking. Although treatments are available to temporarily ease symptoms, there
has been little in the way of success in slowing down the cognitive decline in
patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, which has been partly put down to
the late timing of the diagnosis.
Experts
at Birmingham City University hope that this study will aid other researchers
to find an effective clinical treatment to delay the conversion to Alzheimer's.
Story Source:
The
above story is reprinted from materials provided byBirmingham City
University, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1.
Zhijun Yao, Bin Hu,
Chuanjiang Liang, Lina Zhao, Mike Jackson. A Longitudinal Study of
Atrophy in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Normal Aging Revealed by
Cortical Thickness. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (11): e48973 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048973
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Birmingham City University (2013, July 8). Experts spot early
signs of Alzheimer's. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 9, 2013, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130708114513.htm