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Reviewed By: Louise Chang,
SOURCES: 2009 Medical Reference from Medstar Television. Leslie Shaw, PhD, Biomarker Researcher, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
© 1999-2011 Medstar Television
Josephine Arana (Ah-RAN-ah) says, when she dies, she's donating her body to science.
I already lived my life and when God sends for me, why shouldn't I donate when somebody can use it and save somebody's life?
She's already helping Alzheimer's patients as a healthy volunteer in a study at the University of Pennsylvania.
Anything that's good in me, they can have.
In this case, researchers were looking for early signs of the disease in her spinal fluid.
Once that cerebral spinal fluid is obtained, we, in the lab, now have validated methods for measuring these biochemical biomarkers.
The new test measures amyloid-beta-42 and tau protein - two biomarkers linked to the build-up of plaque in Alzheimer brains. The levels in spinal fluid may help confirm or rule out the disease earlier than ever.
We've now learned that we can detect disease well before, years before, dementia sets in.
The test may also predict whether mild cognitive impairment will switch to Alzheimer's down the road.
As treatment trials develop we're hoping that we can use that strategy to incorporate the at-risk folks before they get AD to see if we can do better at preventing it.
Josephine's spinal fluid was normal. But she's happy she took part in a study that could lead to better treatments for those not so lucky. For WebMD, I'm Sandee Lamotte.
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