Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

The following report came from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2014 by Medscape Medical News: “A Simple Eye Tests to Detect Alzheimer’s Disease in the Works”

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Two novel, noninvasive, and relatively simple eye tests show promise as potential screening tools for early Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“Preliminary results from 2 studies presented here at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2014 show that beta-amyloid detected in the eyes significantly correlated with the burden of beta-amyloid in the brain, allowing investigators to accurately identify individuals with AD

In the first study, researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, used curcumin fluorescence imaging to highlight beta-amyloid in the retina and correlated these results using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging findings in the brain.

“Every single person who tested positive with high levels of plaque in the brain tested positive to the retinal test as well, so we had 100% sensitivity and no false negatives, which is a crucial component on a screen for Alzheimer’s disease because we don’t want to leave anyone behind when it comes to the early signs,” lead investigator Sean Frost said at a press briefing here.

This is a very important medical breakthrough as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will impact tens of millions of Americans in the future, possibly your own family. There are strong suggestions that changes in lifestyle (diet, regular daily exercises, no smoking) can reduce the timing of these changes and possibly reduce the incidence of this disease in the tens of millions of people who are highly likely to get it.