Four recent studies have reported new ways to predict Alzheimer's disease before even the earliest symptoms are detectable.
Two of the studies suggest an excess of certain proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) could indicate Alzheimer's risk. A third study demonstrated a method of creating images of inflammation in the brain with PET scans, and a fourth suggested it could be possible to detect Alzheimer's-like changes in saliva, the Alzheimer's Association International Conference reported.
"There is now consensus that Alzheimer's disease begins with changes in the brain that are happening while people are still cognitively normal, decades before memory and thinking problems begin, which then accelerate as the disease progresses," said Maria Carrillo, Alzheimer's Association Chief Science Officer. "Still, diagnosis of Alzheimer's usually happens fairly late in the progression of the disease, typically not until symptoms are severe enough to prompt a visit to the doctor."
Alzheimer's diagnoses can be extremely complicated, and the Alzheimer's Association 2015 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report found that only 45 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's or their caregivers are actually informed of the diagnosis. The reason behind this may be insufficient time and resources on the physicians' end. Researchers believe extending the time between diagnosis and symptom onset could help relieve this problem. An earlier diagnosis could also have significant benefits for the patients themselves.
"Earlier diagnosis or, better still, the ability to predict the onset of Alzheimer's, would significantly increase the window of opportunity a person with Alzheimer's has to formulate an informed response to the news and empower them to be an active participant in decision-making while they still have the ability. It also would help researchers choose participants for treatment research, especially people at the earliest, pre-symptomatic stages of the disease who are needed for prevention trials," Carrillo said.
