A medical test that detects Alzheimer's disease in its early stages has been developed by researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
Using a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner, physicians led by John M. Hoffman have discovered abnormal functions in several brain areas that indictate Alzheimer's may be in the offing. The PET scans predict the disease three years earlier than current diagnostic procedures.Hoffman said the scans, three-dimensional pictures of the brain, accurately predicted the development of Alzheimer's in 12 persons who had suffered memory loss and inability to think clearly. The scans also gave early warnings that the disease was developing in 12 other patients.
The early diagnosis of Alzheimer's may make it possible to delay the disease's progression or cure it, Hoffman said. As yet, Alzheimer's is untreatable.