A New Test for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's disease is identified by the buildup of toxic plaques of amyloid protein in the brain, and until recently, there was not a medical test to diagnosis the disease; it had to be done post mortem.  Now a new type of scan known as amyloid PET imaging has made it possible for researchers to detect Alzheimer’s disease on living people. 

The recent study was a nationwide trial with over 11,000 participants who had MCI (mild cognitive impairment) or dementia symptoms and beneficiaries of Medicare insurance.  While still evaluating all of the results, researchers report that in “more than 60 percent of participants, amyloid PET scans caused doctors to change their minds about medical management. This was more than twice the number that the investigators had been expecting.”   

To do the scan, the person first gets an injection of a chemical tracer that travels to the brain and sticks to any amyloid plaques that may be present. As the scan is performed, the tracer allows the amyloid plaques to be seen.  The test is not broadly available as insurance companies are not willing to pay for the expensive procedure but that should change over time.    

While some people may be uncomfortable with the idea of taking a test to determine if they have Alzheimer’s, researchers say it can be a good thing for several reasons.  If the amyloid PET scan rules out Alzheimer’s, doctors can re-evaluate the person and try to figure out if their symptoms are a result of a medication side effect, depression or something else.   

If the scan does indicate Alzheimer’s, the person can be given the proper medication and treatments, and along with their family, have time to prepare for the future.  The lead author on the study, Gil D. Rabinovici, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, says that, "We were impressed by the magnitude of these results, which make it clear that amyloid PET imaging can have a major impact on how we diagnose and care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive decline." 

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Source: medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324877.php