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New Test Detects Alzheimer's Early On
July 24, 2003 -- A new electrical screening test may detect the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms of memory loss appear.
Using electrodes placed on the head and spine, the test detects subtle changes in the brain's electrical function that may predict a person's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.
"In the same way cholesterol tests identify patients at risk for heart disease, this test identifies patients at risk for Alzheimer's," says Eric Braverman, MD, director of Path Medical Clinics and Research Foundation in New York City, in a news release.
Through targeted interventions -- including drugs, natural hormones, nutrition, and diet -- we can slow the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms, but the results are far better early on, before the condition progresses, he says. "That's why early detection is critical."
How It Works
Researchers say Alzheimer's disease begins as a slowing of the brain's processing speed, which affects a person's mental ability and then produces memory loss.
The new electrical Alzheimer's test creates an electrical map of the brain to detect this early slow-down before it produces noticeable changes in memory. Specifically, the test uses EEG (electroencephalography) to measure P300 latency, which is an objective measure of electrical brain activity.
In a study published in the journal Clinical Electroencephalography, researchers found this electrical Alzheimer's test was more accurate at predicting borderline memory impairment than other types of electrical brain tests in nearly 1,500 patients.
"P300 may be the only test subtle enough to identify brain changes prior to documented memory loss," write the researchers. Although other tests may be necessary to adequately evaluate memory decline.
Together with existing screening tests for Alzheimer's disease, researchers say the electrical Alzheimer's test may provide an important new tool to predict future memory impairment and can be performed in less than 15 minutes at a doctor's office.
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