Headline: Study of Best Test for Alzheimer's
PET Scans Affirmed
New research has identified the memory and brain scan tests that appear to predict best whether a person with cognitive problems might develop Alzheimer's disease. The research is published in the June 30, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (AAN)
Longevity tests are tests that examine data over time rather than at one moment in time. The study looked at participants between the ages of 55 and 90 and were followed for an average of 1.9 years.
During that time, 28 of the participants developed Alzheimer's disease.
People who showed abnormal results on both PET scans (positron emission tomography) and episodic memory tests were nearly 12 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who scored normally on both measures.
Thin people statistically face higher risks of dementia
Researchers at Milan University examined a total of 245 patients averaging 74 years old who had been suffering from mild cognitive impairment for approximately two-and-a-half years. The mental capabilities of about half the patients remained stable during that period. About two thirds of those whose condition had deteriorated developed Alzheimer's Disease. The remaining third developed another form of dementia. Those whose cognitive disturbance deteriorated had a significantly lower BMI (mean value of 23.81) than those whose condition had remained unchanged (BMI mean of 25.47). Especially significant was the elevated risk of deterioration among those patients with a BMI of 23 or under.
Illustration of patient inside scanner
