Alzheimer's and dementia testing for earlier diagnosis - learn about research including biomarkers, brain imaging, genetic risk profiling and CSF proteins.Quoted From: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/research_progress/earlier-diagnosis
"What if we could diagnose Alzheimer's disease before symptoms started? The hope is, future treatments could then target the disease in its earliest stages, before irreversible brain damage or mental decline has occurred. Research on new strategies for earlier diagnosis is among the most active areas in Alzheimer's science, and funding from the Alzheimer's Association has spurred significant advances and steady progress.
Biomarkers for earlier detection
Current diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease relies largely on documenting mental decline, at which point, Alzheimer's has already caused severe brain damage. Researchers hope to discover an easy and accurate way to detect Alzheimer's before these devastating symptoms begin.
Experts believe that biomarkers (short for "biological markers") offer one of the most promising paths. A biomarker is something that can be measured to accurately and reliably indicate the presence of disease, such as fasting blood glucose (blood sugar) level, which indicates the presence of diabetes if it is 126 mg/dL or higher.
Finding biomarkers will help earlier diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.Several potential biomarkers are being studied for their ability to indicate early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Examples being studied include beta-amyloid and tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain changes detectable by imaging. Recent research suggests that these indicators may change at different stages of the disease process.
Before a biomarker can be used in medical clinics, it must be validated, in which multiple studies in large and diverse groups of people establish that it accurately and reliably indicates the presence of disease. Furthermore, the laboratory methods used to measure the biomarker must be shown to be stable and reliable.
Currently, there are some FDA-approved tools that, when applicable, can be used to aid in diagnosis of people with symptoms of Alzheimer"s or another dementia (e.g., brain imaging). Some of these tools have a wealth of research and clinical data to support their use in the clinic (e.g., biomarkers in CSF), while other emerging biomarkers are promising but still under investigation (e.g., blood tests and genetic risk profiling)."
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