What Is Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers is thought to be the result of beta-amyloid plaques, which are thick protein deposits present in the brain, and neurofibrillary tangles abnormal structures, which form in neurons building up in the brain. This buildup causes neurons in the brain to cease working, losing connection with other neurons before dying. However, the exact cause of Alzheimers is still unknown. The condition is the most common form of dementia and can quickly progress from being mild to severe.
There are no known causes for Alzheimers since the disease is still being studied. A persons chances of developing Alzheimers tend to increase with age, but people in their 40s and 50s can begin showing symptoms of early-onset Alzheimers. People who have a relative with the condition may also be at higher risk of developing it themselves since the disease has hereditary factors.
A persons overall physical health may also be a factor in whether they develop Alzheimers disease. One study showed that people who have heart disease or other cardiovascular issues could be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimers than those with good heart health. This is because cardiovascular issues often reduce the amount of blood the brain receives, which may increase the cognitive issues associated with Alzheimers.
Causes Of Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers Disease results from the progressive loss or degeneration of brain cells, and it is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimers disease is a condition where neurons within the brain stop functioning. They lose connections with other neurons and die. The condition impacts memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. As of now, it is irreversible and progressive.
Although the cause is still not definitively known, scientists believe it is caused by beta-amyloid plaques, which are thick protein deposits in the brain. This increase of plaques in the brain causes the neurons to die.
There are risk factors which seem to indicate a person may be prone to Alzheimers disease. They include age, family history and someone with heart disease or cardiovascular disease. Despite that, even people in their 40s and 50s can have early onset Alzheimers.
Why Early Detection Can Be Difficult
Alzheimers disease usually is not diagnosed in the early stages, even in people who visit their primary care doctors with memory complaints.
- People and their families generally underreport the symptoms.
- They may confuse them with normal signs of aging.
- The symptoms may emerge so gradually that the person affected doesnt recognize them.
- The person may be aware of some symptoms but go to great lengths to conceal them.
Recognizing symptoms early is crucial because medication to control symptoms is most effective in the early stages of the disease and early diagnosis allows the individual and his or her family members to plan for the future. If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the following symptoms, contact a physician.
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Schedule An Mri For Alzheimers Today
Early diagnosis is critical to slowing the progression of Alzheimers, and an MRI of the head is one of the best ways to do it. At Envision Imaging, were dedicated to providing world-class diagnostic imaging to enhance the quality of life for our patients.
No matter which of our many locations you visit, youll receive only the very best service from our staff of professionals who understand the stress that can surround a persons visit, so we ensure each client gets focused service with an excellent quality of care.
Find a location near you to schedule your MRI appointment today.
How You Can Help Move Biomarker Research Forward
The use of biomarkers is enabling scientists to make great strides in identifying potential new treatments and ways to prevent or delay dementia. These and similar advances have been possible only because of the thousands of volunteers who have participated in clinical trials and studies. Clinical trials need participants of all different ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities to ensure that study results apply to as many people as possible, and that treatments will be safe and effective for everyone who will use them. Major medical breakthroughs could not happen without the generosity of research participants who essentially become partners in these scientific discoveries.
To find clinical trials and studies on Alzheimer’s and related dementias, visit the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder
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What Are The Benefits Of An Early Diagnosis Of Dementia
There are many benefits of an early dementia diagnosis. These include:
- After a series of testing and questions, your healthcare provider can give you an accurate diagnosis based on your symptoms.
- If dementia is diagnosed early enough, you can play an active role in the decision-making process for your future.
- You may be a candidate for clinical trials.
- You can focus on things that are most important in your life.
- If diagnosed early, you will have time to get your financial, legal, and medical matters in order.
- Allows time for you and your family to understand the challenges ahead and prepare for them.
Having A Mri Scan Having A Mri Scan
Find out what it’s like to undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan, commonly known as an MRI scan, from our short video.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans are used to acquire detailed images of the brain. This is important for research into dementia as it can reveal whether parts of the brain are becoming smaller and show researchers how different diseases affect the brain. MRI scans can indicate whether people are developing different types of dementia, and reveal how people are responding to treatments.Scans for research tend to take about 45 minutes, although this varies between different studies. The scanner makes loud noises as it acquires the images so ear-plugs or headphones are usually worn. Because the scanner uses a strong magnetic field youll be asked to remove any metal, and the researchers will ask whether you have any metal in your body before having the scan. Sometimes they will ask you to change into a gown or pyjamas, but other times you can wear your own clothes.
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Pet Imaging May Also Be Used While Diagnosing Alzheimer’s
Positron-Emissions Tomography, or the PET scan, is the last type of investigation that we will spotlight in this article. There is no need to get into the complicated physics of what is happening to explain how this instrument works, but the simple version may be helpful. A PET scan is a type of study that is used to determine how much glucose is being used by tissue. This can give a reasonable representation of how quickly the brain is metabolizing the sugar. The more active an area, the more glucose will be needed in order to maintain these functions.
The application of this PET scan in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease is apparent in modern medicine. There are numerous studies that have shown the PET scan to be a very good tool in diagnosing the early changes in the brain. It is also able to differentiate more precisely between normal aging and patterns likely seen only in patients who have Alzheimer’s Disease, making it a fairly accurate diagnostic tool. Another advantage of this type of investigation is that it can produce models that can predict the speed of memory decline in the future. This can help doctors target specific treatments and identify symptoms that may become more pronounced depending on the region of the brain involved in the patient.
Common Form Of Dementia
The research is published in the Nature Portfolio Journal, Communications Medicine, and funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and the Medical Research Council.
Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over half a million people in the UK. Although most people with Alzheimers disease develop it after the age of 65, people under this age can develop it too. The most frequent symptoms of dementia are memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem solving and language.
Doctors currently use a raft of tests to diagnose Alzheimers disease, including memory and cognitive tests and brain scans. The scans are used to check for protein deposits in the brain and shrinkage of the hippocampus, the area of the brain linked to memory. All of these tests can take several weeks, both to arrange and to process.
The new approach requires just one of these a magnetic resonance imaging brain scan taken on a standard 1.5 Tesla machine, which is commonly found in most hospitals.
The researchers adapted an algorithm developed for use in classifying cancer tumours, and applied it to the brain. They divided the brain into 115 regions and allocated 660 different features, such as size, shape and texture, to assess each region. They then trained the algorithm to identify where changes to these features could accurately predict the existence of Alzheimers disease.
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Damage Early In Alzheimers Disease Idd Via Novel Mri Approach
New method has potential for helping diagnose Alzheimers before symptoms develop
An MRI scan of the hippocampus, the brains memory center, in an older person with no signs of cognitive decline and a person of similar age with mild Alzheimers has been analyzed with a new technique that shows where healthy brain cells have been lost . New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that this novel MRI approach can identify brain cell damage in people at early stages of Alzheimers, before tissue shrinkage is visible on traditional MRI scans.
Alzheimers disease usually is diagnosed based on symptoms, such as when a person shows signs of memory loss and difficulty thinking. Up until now, MRI brain scans havent proven useful for early diagnosis in clinical practice. Such scans can reveal signs of brain shrinkage due to Alzheimers, but the signs only become unmistakable late in the course of the disease, long after the brain is significantly damaged and most people have been diagnosed via other means.
But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that a mathematical analysis of data obtained with a novel MRI approach can identify brain cell damage in people at early stages of Alzheimers, before tissue shrinkage is visible on traditional MRI scans and before cognitive symptoms arise.
When You Need A Brain Scanand When You Dont
It is normal to forget things as you age. But many older people worry that they are getting Alzheimers disease when they cant remember things.
A new drug, used with a PET scan of the brain, can help diagnose Alzheimers. But before getting this scan you should have a complete medical exam. If your exam shows serious memory loss and your doctor cannot find a cause for it, then you should have the scan. Otherwise, the results can be misleading and you should not get the scan. Heres why:
The scan does not prove that you have Alzheimers.
Alzheimers can be found in the brain because it involves abnormal cell clumps. These clumps are called plaques. A PET scanwhich is an imaging testcan show these plaques, using a radioactive drug. During the test, the drug is injected into your body, where it attaches to the plaques. Then pictures are taken of your brain. The drug highlights the plaques so they can be seen on the scan.
If the scan does not show any plaques in your brain, then it is much less likely that you have Alzheimers. However, you can have plaques in your brain but not have Alzheimers. And having plaques does not mean that you will get Alzheimers in the future.
Alzheimers is not the only cause of forgetting things.
Medicines can also cause memory loss and thinking problems. So if you have symptoms, it is important to find out what the cause is.
Finding the cause starts with a medical evaluation.
The new scan can pose risks.
It can be expensive.
02/2013
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The Mri Scan: How Can It Be Used In The Diagnosis Of Alzheimer’s
As medicine has improved in the last few decades, the role of these brain imaging studies has become more and more important in the diagnosis of the Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurological conditions. One of the key diagnostic tests is known as Magnetic resonance imaging the MRI.
In laymen’s terms, an MRI scan is an imaging study that relies on a magnetic field in order to get a good view of your internal organs. The magnetic field can actually influence the water molecules that are naturally found in your body in order to give a very refined picture of what is going on in your body. It is best to use this type of imaging for soft tissue the exact type of tissue that you will be looking at when you are investigating the brain.
An MRI scan can be a rather long examination for patients to endure and patients will need to lie as still as possible in order for doctors to get an accurate picture of the structures being investigated. During just a simple head investigation, patients may be asked to lie still for at least 30 minutes. This may sound like a simple task but the tubing in the room is rather small so many patients may not enjoy the slight claustrophobia that can easily occur. It is one of the best studies to do, though, so the accurate results are worth the slight discomfort for the patient.
Why Doctors Consider Mri To Detect Dementia
Medical experts will advise on the use of MRI when they suspect that a person has dementia.
MRI uses focused radio waves and magnetic fields to detect the presence of hydrogen atoms in tissues in the human body.
MRI scans also reveal the brains anatomic structure with 3D imaging allowing doctors to get a clear view of the current state of the organ.
This way, the doctor is able to rule out other health problems like hydrocephalus, hemorrhage, stroke, and tumors that can mimic dementia.
With these scans, physicians can also detect loss of brain mass that relates to different types of dementia.
fMRI records blood flow changes that are linked to the activities of the brain. This may help physicians differentiate dementia types.
Verywellhealth.com also suggests that MRI scans can at times identify reversible cognitive decline.
In such a case, a doctor will recommend appropriate treatment that will reverse this decline and restore cognitive functioning.
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Measure Volume In The Brain
An MRI can provide the ability to view the brain with 3D imaging. It can measure the size and amount of cells in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that typically shows atrophy during the course of Alzheimer’s disease. The hippocampus is responsible for accessing memory which is often one of the first functions to noticeably decline in Alzheimer’s.
An MRI of someone with Alzheimer’s disease may also show parietal atrophy. The parietal lobe of the brain is located in the upper back portion of the brain and is responsible for several different functions including visual perception, ordering and calculation, and the sense of our body’s location.
Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease
People who are suspected to have dementia will often ask can an MRI detect dementia.
This is because doctors often use brain scans to identify tumors, strokes, and other problems that might lead to dementia development.
MRI and CT scans are the most common types of brain scans that doctors use when they want to confirm whether a person has a neurodegenerative illness or not.
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How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed
Doctors use several methods and tools to help determine if a person with thinking or memory problems has Alzheimers disease. To diagnose Alzheimers, doctors may:
- Ask the person experiencing symptoms, as well as a family member or friend, questions about overall health, use of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diet, past medical problems, ability to carry out daily activities, and changes in behavior and personality.
- Administer a psychiatric evaluation to determine if depression or another mental health condition is causing or contributing to a person’s symptoms.
- Conduct tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language.
- Order blood, urine, and other standard medical tests that can help identify other possible causes of the problem.
- Perform brain scans, such as computed tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , or positron emission tomography , to support an Alzheimers diagnosis or rule out other possible causes for symptoms.
Doctors may want to repeat these tests to help best determine how the persons memory and other cognitive functions are changing over time. The tests can also help diagnose other causes of memory problems, such as stroke, tumor, Parkinsons disease, sleep disturbances, side effects of medication, an infection, or another type of dementia. Some of these conditions may be treatable and possibly reversible.
People with memory problems should return to the doctor every six to 12 months.
A Single Brain Mri Scan Can Diagnose Alzheimers Disease
According to research by Imperial College London, a single MRI scan of the brain could be enough to diagnose Alzheimers disease. Using machine learning technology to look at structural features within the brain, including in regions not previously associated with Alzheimers, technique is simple and can identify the disease at an early stage when it can be very difficult to diagnose. The research was published in the Nature Portfolio Journal, Communications Medicine, and funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and the Medical Research Council.
Doctors currently use a raft of tests to diagnose Alzheimers disease, including memory and cognitive tests and brain scans. The scans are used to check for protein deposits in the brain and shrinkage of the hippocampus, the area of the brain linked to memory. All of these tests can take several weeks, both to arrange and to process.
The new approach requires just one of these a MRI brain scan taken on a standard 1.5T machine, which is commonly found in most hospitals.
The researchers adapted an algorithm developed for use in classifying cancer tumors, and applied it to the brain. They divided the brain into 115 regions and allocated 660 different features, such as size, shape and texture, to assess each region. They then trained the algorithm to identify where changes to these features could accurately predict the existence of Alzheimers disease.
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