Alzheimer's diagnosis

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'I Think We're Onto Something Important' for Alzheimer's

Scientists believe the protein reelin may help shield brain from aging diseases

(Newser) - "I think we're onto something important for Alzheimer's," MIT neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai tells NPR , after her team's latest research backs up a pair of previous studies regarding a protein they say may help fend off cognitive decline. That protein, reelin, appears to act as a...

Research May Result in Big Spike of Alzheimer's Diagnoses

Two copies of a certain gene would lead to a diagnosis, not merely a warning of risk

(Newser) - A new study has the potential to lead to a dramatic spike in the number of diagnosed Alzheimer's cases in the US—as in, hundreds of thousands of people who aren't even experiencing symptoms. The research published in Nature Medicine suggests that people who have two copies of...

For These Alzheimer's Patients, the Eyes Offer a Clue
For These Alzheimer's Patients,
the Eyes Offer a Clue
in case you missed it
Jan 28, 2024 7:00 AM CST

For These Alzheimer's Patients, the Eyes Offer a Clue

Vision issues may be early sign of posterior cortical atrophy, a rare form of the disease

(Newser) - Alzheimer's patients typically begin to show signs they have the disease via memory issues, but for some patients, an early warning sign arrives another way. Per the Washington Post , there's a rare variant of the condition, called posterior cortical atrophy , in which patients start having vision problems early...

Couple Sentenced After Reports of False Alzheimer's Diagnoses

Patients said they planned the end of their lives, quitting their jobs or taking a final trip

(Newser) - A former director of an Ohio memory-loss clinic accused by dozens of patients of falsely diagnosing them with Alzheimer's disease has been sentenced on federal fraud charges, along with her physician husband. Sherry-Ann Jenkins received nearly six years in prison on Tuesday, while Oliver Jenkins got a 41-month sentence....

'Breakthrough': Alzheimer's Blood Test Goes on Sale
First Alzheimer's
Blood Test Goes on Sale
in case you missed it
Dec 5, 2020 11:01 AM CST

First Alzheimer's Blood Test Goes on Sale

It's can help diagnose the disease

(Newser) - It's here: The first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease is now on sale in the US. It hasn't actually been approved by the FDA; the AP reports it's instead being sold under "more general rules for commercial labs." Even so, it could...

'5 Years Ago, I Would Have Told You It Was Science Fiction'

Scientists move closer to being able to detect Alzheimer's with a blood test

(Newser) - It could be the Holy Grail Alzheimer's researchers have been looking for: "This blood test very, very accurately predicts who’s got Alzheimer’s disease in their brain, including people who seem to be normal." That's how an Alzheimer's disease researcher not involved with a...

Blood Test Could Get Rid of 'Coin-Tossing' on Alzheimer's

Researchers excited about test that detects beta-amyloid protein, an indicator of disease

(Newser) - It's not easy to diagnose Alzheimer's: With doctors able to make that pronouncement based only on limited information such as patient and family interviews and mental acuity tests, the accuracy rate of such a conclusion hovers between 50% and 60%—"about the same as tossing a coin,...

Singer Steve Lawrence Doesn't Want Pity for His Latest News

83-year-old performer, half of 'Steve and Eydie' duo with late wife Eydie Gorme, has Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Steve Lawrence, the singer and performer who's best known as half of the musical duo Steve and Eydie, has Alzheimer's. Lawrence, who was married to Eydie Gorme for more than 55 years until her death in 2013 , announced the diagnosis in a letter released through his spokesperson Tuesday,...

Many People Being Treated for Alzheimer's May Not Have It

PET scans are expensive but could help refine treatment for patients

(Newser) - Diagnosing Alzheimer's is a guessing game—and many doctors are guessing wrong, according to early results from a new study presented Wednesday in London. The Washington Post reports doctors tested 4,000 Medicare patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia and discovered many of them definitively do not have...

Doctors Not Telling Patients They Have Alzheimer's
Doctors Not Telling Patients They Have Alzheimer's
new report
Mar 24, 2015 7:49 AM CDT

Doctors Not Telling Patients They Have Alzheimer's

Only 45% of Medicare patients with disease were informed of diagnosis

(Newser) - An estimated 700,000 people 65 and older in the US will die with Alzheimer's disease this year, the Alzheimer's Association notes. The sobering statistic and emotionally devastating nature of the disease make it understandable why no doctor relishes having to tell his patients that they've been...

Can This 3-Step Test Predict Alzheimer's?
Can This 3-Step Test
Predict Alzheimer's?
new study
Mar 19, 2015 11:44 AM CDT

Can This 3-Step Test Predict Alzheimer's?

Mayo Clinic doctor's simple test could reveal MCI risk

(Newser) - Dementia rates are on the rise, and soon, the burden of identifying the disease may fall to primary care physicians rather than neurologists. Unfortunately, imaging tests and spinal taps are expensive, invasive, and just "not practical," the Mayo Clinic's Dr. Ronald Petersen tells Time . So he has...

New Tools to Spot Alzheimer's: Eye, Smell Tests

Cues could be spotted early enough to reverse disease

(Newser) - Could tests as simple as a scratch-and-sniff smell quiz or an eye exam help detect Alzheimer's early enough to make a difference? Research to be unveiled at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference this week outlines several promising directions scientists are looking at in order to spot the disease...

Blood Test Can Spot Alzheimer's Years Early
 Blood Test Can Spot 
 Alzheimer's Years Early 
STUDY SAYS
Mar 10, 2014 2:47 AM CDT

Blood Test Can Spot Alzheimer's Years Early

'Game changer' raises ethical dilemmas

(Newser) - A simple blood test can spot Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms develop, researchers say—though it's a breakthrough some may choose to ignore. A Georgetown University team says its "highly sensitive and specific test" can identify people in their 70s who are likely to develop Alzheimer's...

Early Sign of Alzheimer's: The Way You Walk
 Early Sign of Alzheimer's: 
 The Way You Walk 
study says
Jul 16, 2012 9:04 AM CDT

Early Sign of Alzheimer's: The Way You Walk

Changes in gait could signal cognitive decline: studies

(Newser) - For the first time, researchers have linked a physical symptom to Alzheimer's: Changes in the way you walk could be an early sign of the disease, USA Today reports. Researchers studied participants' gait two times, 15 months apart, and found that those with decreased cadence, velocity, and stride length...

Is an Early Alzheimer's Diagnosis Worth It?

With no treatment available, it could cause unnecessary heartache

(Newser) - Advances in medical testing allow Alzheimer's disease to be diagnosed earlier than ever before—sometimes even before symptoms occur. But one man says that his wife's testing, which yielded a diagnosis at age 56, "was the biggest mistake of my life." Linda Dangaard is still the...

New Brain Scan Tests for Alzheimer's

Chemical marks amyloid proteins that show up in scan

(Newser) - A new test to help detect Alzheimer's disease has been approved by the FDA, raising hopes of improving early detection of the degenerative brain disorder, reports the Wall Street Journal . The test uses a radioactive agent that tags a protein called amyloid, which, when present in the brain, is...

Nose Exam Could Offer Early Alzheimer's Diagnosis

German scientists developing new detection method

(Newser) - German scientists think they’ve found a new way to detect Alzheimer’s years before a patient starts showing symptoms … and it involves looking up your nose. Chemists and pathologists at the Technical University of Darmstadt are developing a method to test the nasal mucous membrane for tau protein,...

Alzheimer's May Be Contagious
 Alzheimer's May Be Contagious 
study says
Oct 5, 2011 7:17 AM CDT

Alzheimer's May Be Contagious

Some cases may result from an infection: study

(Newser) - Alzheimer's disease may, in some cases, be contagious, according to surprising results from a new study. "Some of the sporadic Alzheimer's cases may arise from an infectious process" similar to mad cow disease, a researcher says. In the study, mice that were injected with human brain tissue...

Pat Summitt Has Early Dementia

But she intends to keep coaching

(Newser) - Pat Summitt has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s type early onset dementia, she revealed in an interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel last night, but she intends to keep her gig as head coach of Tennessee’s Lady Vols. “There’s not going to be any pity party, and...

New Guidelines Help Diagnose Alzheimer's Earlier

First new guidelines in 27 years to be issued today

(Newser) - Alzheimer's disease is being redefined for the first time in 27 years, with new medical guidelines reflecting the fact that the disease is a "continuum." Growing evidence shows that Alzheimer's starts affecting the brain years before dementia symptoms present themselves, and the new guidelines reflect that...

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