An update to the guidelines for Alzheimer's diagnosis, published last week by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association, seek to establish standards for early detection and thereby accelerate treatment of those at risk.
A co-author of the guidelines, Dr. Reisa A. Sperling, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, explained that “the whole goal of the (Alzheimer's research) field is to begin to find ways to identify people earlier so that when new treatments are available, we can use them.”
Currently there are 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer's, and the new guidelines will likely produce an increase in the number of people receiving diagnosis.
The guidelines organize three stages of Alzheimer's, beginning with a preclinical status of the disease, and moving on to mild cognitive impairment, and then Alzheimer's dementia.
The guideline's authors note that not all individuals receiving a preclinical, or even mild cognitive impairment diagnosis go on to develop full Alzheimer's dementia.
The update to Alzheimer's diagnosis guideline comes as news of a vaccine, in the form of a bapineuzumab jab, is showing success in preventing, and in some cases reversing, the build up of amyloid, the toxic protein which affects the brains of dementia sufferers, "and is thought to be linked to the onset of symptoms such as memory loss and mental impairment."
Though the vaccine will most likely not be available for two more years, it reinforces current efforts to diagnose and aggressively treat Alzheimer as early as possible in the cycle of the disease.
Early detection and treatment are key to management, and hopefully eventual prevention of Alzheimer's. The ScienceBlog.com reported last week on an early warning system for Alzheimer's focusing on clusters of peptide that impact the brain and begin to gather early in the preclinical stage of the disease.
Additional news pointing toward options for early identification of Alzheimer's risk linked diminishing brain size. Volunteers participating in a study underwent MRI scans to examine areas of the brain typically involved when the disease develops.
According to the Detroit Free Press, "the findings may one day be used to help determine a person's chance of getting the disease," said researcher Bradford Dickerson, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.
