One of the worst parts of Alzheimer’s disease is that patients don’t realize they have the disease until it is too late. By the time the first signs of forgetfulness and confusion set in, experts believe, the disease has already been ravaging the brain for a decade or more, causing irreversible damage.
Research at the Cleveland Clinic is reporting they may have found a way to identify neurological disorders in people who are most at risk, all through a simple question of whether they recognize well known celebrities like Britney Spears and Johnny Carson. It turns out that when people who are at highest risk of Alzheimer’s try to recognize a famous name, their brains activate in very different ways from those of people who aren’t at risk. Scientists are able to see these differences through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI.
the research divided a group of 65 to 85 year olds into three: those who had no risk factors for Alzheimer’s, those who had a family history of the disease but no genetic indicators of it themselves and those who had both family members with Alzheimer’s as well as a version of a gene for a protein called apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) that has been linked to the condition.
The team found that those who were at higher risk of Alzheimer’s development showed high levels of activity in the parts of the brain involving memory. On the other hand, the control group brains’ became more excited when shown unfamiliar names. This could mean the high risk group was working harder to recognize the more familiar names, perhaps compensating for already damaged or destroyed neurons that were no longer functioning.
“This pushes the envelope further in attempting to detect dysfunction in the brain at a stage earlier than any detectable clinical measurement of cognitive decline,” says Dr. Ralph Nixon, a psychiatrist at New York University and vice chair of the medical and scientific advisory council of the Alzheimer’s Association. “We all know that the brain is changing metabolically at a very early stage of the disease, well before clinical symptoms. This type of technique validates that concept.”
This breakthrough may lead to great decreases in the number Alzheimer’s patients, as the early find in the disease will demand the need for care. And the best way to decrease the development of Alzheimer’s disease is to often participate in thought provoking activities such as reading, board games, and even conversation. Home Instead Senior Care will provide outstanding caregivers to help your loved one with personal care, incidental travel, companionship, medication, reminders, light housekeeping, and even meal preparation. To learn more, call 248-203-2273 or visit www.homeinstead.com. Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s trusted source of in-home non-commercial personal care and companionship for seniors. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. And remember, to us, it’s personal.
SOURCE: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1918352,00.html?cnn=yes
