MedMinute: New Techniques Attempt to Detect Early Alzheimer's

The ability to diagnose Alzheimer's disease in its early stages has so far eluded medical researchers. But that may be changing. Several new imaging techniques show promise for detecting Alzheimer's before symptoms of dementia appear. Early, accurate diagnosis of the disease could one day allow patients to benefit from new therapies and to make long-range life plans. Jeffrey Petrella, assistant professor of radiology in the Division of Neuroradiology at Duke University Medical Center, led a preliminary study of one new imaging technique called functional MRI. "Our long-term goal is to develop an imaging tool which will help, one, identify the disease earlier, and, two, track the course of the disease and the response of the disease to treatments." Petrella says functional MRI lets researchers look at brain function, not just brain anatomy, as in conventional MRI. A new, larger study is getting underway, and could produce results within five years. "Without early diagnosis, you can't have early treatment. And with these new therapies becoming available, the importance of early diagnosis is coming greater and greater to the forefront." I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.