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Screening for Dementia 4: Diagnosis & Treatment

October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is an excerpt on “Diagnosis and Treatment” from the movie, Screening for Dementia. Produced by the University of Georgia’s Dr. Leonard W. Poon, video by Alan Stecker of ASV Productions, and filmed at Mercer University’s School of Medicine. You can find other clips from this movie on our youtube channel or you can visit the Georgia Geriatric Education website (www.training.geron.uga.edu). There you can also find other helpful videos and learning modules on various issues in gerontology and geriatrics. Our Important Links Institute of Gerontology at the University of Georgia www.publichealth.uga.edu Georgia Geriatric Education Center (Resources and training about best practices in the aging field): training.geron.uga.edu List of aging resources training.geron.uga.edu UGA Gerontology YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com UGA Gerontology Vimeo Channel: vimeo.com Elder Cohousing & Other Intentional Communities: www.geron.uga.edu
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Biomarkers may help doctors screen for Alzheimer’s

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Biomarkers may help doctors screen for Alzheimer’s

Article by Jamie Francis









Scientists in America say they have taken an important step in being able to develop a test to help with the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. A group involved in research into the disease have made an important discovery which involves the presence of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid which surrounds the spinal cord.

According to a report by the Independent newspaper the scientists say presence of three specific biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid will allow them to predict the presence of Alzheimer’s with 90 per cent accuracy. The research found that the three biomarkers were present in nine out of ten people known to be suffering from Alzheimer’s. The biomarkers were also found in one third of older patients who, although were showing no signs of mental deterioration, were believed to be in the early stages of the disease.

The research was carried out at The Mayo Clinics at Jacksonville in the state of Florida and Rochester in the state of Minnesota. It involved patients suffering from late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and also used control patients who were not suffering from dementia. In addition, samples were obtained from the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer ‘s Disease. In total 1,829 cases involving late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and 2,576 control cases were used. The findings of the report were published in the Archives of Neurology in August.

Alzheimer’s affects around 465,000 people in the United Kingdom every year and it stands as the most common cause of dementia. The disease affects the brain of the sufferer and results in the loss of brain cells. Being a progressive disease, Alzheimer’s sufferers gradually get worse and as more brain damage occurs the symptoms of the disease become more extreme.

It is hoped that in the future, this discovery involving biomarkers will pave the way for doctors to select patients for early preventative treatment measures, once developments in medicine result in the availability of neuroprotective medications to combat Alzheimer’s.

Biomarkers continue to play a key role in helping scientists across the world with their research. The use of biomarkers in cancer research is yet another area they are playing an important part in furthering knowledge and assisting research and screening efforts.

Biomarker research itself is continuing apace all over the world and as more is learnt about how each biomarker the medical profession, the better off the research industry will be.



About the Author

Jamie Francis is an experienced scientific author










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