Elder Care Guide and Information

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates about 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s. It’s a progressive and fatal deterioration of the brain. The longer we live the more likely we are to contract the disease. Roughly 1 percent of 60-year-olds develope Alzheimer’s. The percentage jumps to 30 percent for 85-year-olds. Right now there are no therapies for preventing the disease. The best chance of helping those who get it is early intervention to slow down the progress of memory loss.

That means we need to find a test or series of tests that accurately predict the possibility of getting Alzheimers or dementia.

Dr. D. P. Devanand, co-director of the Memory Disorders Center at New York State Psychiatric Institute, said it was unlikely that Alzheimer’s could be predicted with any accuracy using a single test.

Instead, experts are developing mathematical models to combine the results of a number of testing methods and then compute a risk assessment for an individual patient. These prediction models would be similar to those now offered to women with a high risk of breast cancer.

Here’s a rundown of the prediction techniques being studied:

Use of EEGs
In 2005, researchers at NYU released promising results using an EEG. The researchers reported a 95% accuracy in predicting who would develope Alzeimer’s within 7 years among a small group of people in their 60’s and 70’s. It had a small sampling, but with such outstandng results, I hope other researchers are attemping to validate the viability of using an EEG.

Using Brain Imagining
Studies using an M.R.I to examine the size of the hippocamus offer another promising prediction technique. The hippocamus is a section of the brain involved in memory. The theory is that a shrinking hippocampus may be an reliable predictor of Alzheimer’s. A study presented to the American Academy of Neurology followed patients for 5-8 years and found that those who developed mild cognitive impairment had smaller hippocampi early on. While a smaller hippocampus does not necessarily mean you’ll get Alzheimer’s their was a strong correlation when the hippocampus was found to be reducing in mass.

PET brain scans
Imaging brains using PET scans have been used to indicate early Alzheimer’s disease. PET scans are used to measure the brain’s use of glucose, an indication of energy use. Studies have found that Alzheimer’s patients exhibit reduced glucose metabolism in areas where the brain is impaired by the disease. PET scans can be used to identify reduced glucose metabolism in patients years before Alzheimer’s was diagnosed. PET scans seem best if used to track the course of glucose metabolism rather than a single test with accurate predicatability.

Paper and Pencil Tests
Another approach in predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s is a test to assess forgetfulness. The most predictive is called a delayed recall test. The individual is provided a paragraph to read and then distracted for about 10 minutes. They are then asked questions about what they read. Studies find that those who score low will be found to suffer mental decline between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Scratch and Sniff
As long ago as 1998, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Smell and Taste Center realized a loss of smell can be an early indicator of neurodegenerative brain diseases. According to center director Richard L. Doty, Ph.D, smell loss is one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Devanand, echos that belief. Dr. Devenand developed a simple scratch-and-sniff smell test of 10 aromas he believes are the best at predicting a loss of smell. Scents include: menthol, strawberry, peanuts, smoke, smoke lilac, lemon and leather. In one study, the test proved as accurate as the best neuropsychological tests in predicting who progresses from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s at a follow-up an average of four years later.

While certain studies show promising results, researchers quickly to point out that none of these test alone should be relied upon as an accurate predictor of the disease. Many are so concerned about developing Alzheimer’s they are keenly interested in taking any test available.

Be careful relying on any one of these approaches. They need more study. You don’t want to end up generating a unnecessary anxiety.

Mr. Eldercare

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease