New eye test could spot Alzheimer's disease 20 YEARS before symptoms emerge
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai developed an eye test as a non-invasive method
Currently, patients require an invasive scan to receive an Alzheimer's diagnosis
However, this eye test was as accurate as PET scanning, a study claims
By MIA DE GRAAF FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:43 BST, 18 August 2017

An eye test could spot Alzheimer's disease two decades before symptoms emerge, a new study claims.
Researchers in Los Angeles trialed the test on 16 patients.
Comparing their results to brain scans, the eye test was just as successful at spotting those with twice the amount of plaque build-up in their brains.
Experts say the finding is one of the biggest breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research to date, offering the first sign of a cost-effective and non-invasive test.
'The findings suggest that the retina may serve as a reliable source for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis,' said the study's senior lead author, Dr Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai.


An eye test developed by researchers in Los Angeles managed to spot Alzheimer's-related plaque build-up in the brain before symptoms had fully emerged

'One of the major advantages of analyzing the retina is the repeatability, which allows us to monitor patients and potentially the progression of their disease.'
Until about a decade ago, the only way to officially diagnose someone with Alzheimer's disease was to analyze their brain posthumously.
In recent years, physicians have been able to use positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the brains of living people, to identify markers of the disease.

However, the technology is expensive, and the test is invasive, since the patient needs to be injected with radioactive tracers.
Dr Koronyo-Hamaoui's team set out to identify a more cost-effective and less invasive technique.

ALZHEIMER'S: FAST FACTS

WHAT IS IT?

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain.
A build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.
This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink.

WHAT HAPPENS?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.
That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.
The progress of the disease is slow and gradual.
On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

Loss of short-term memory
Disorientation
Behavioral changes
Mood swings
Difficulties dealing with money
Difficulties making a phone call
Difficulties following a TV show

LATER SYMPTOMS:

Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world...
...This can lead to aggressive behavior
Eventually lose ability to walk
May have problems eating and drinking
The majority will eventually need 24-hour care

HOW ALZHEIMER'S DIFFERS FROM NORMAL MEMORY LOSS:

With ordinary age-related forgetfulness, you will still remember details associated with the thing they've forgotten.
For example, you may forget your neighbor's name in conversation, but you still know that person is your neighbor.
Alzheimer's sufferers forget the entire context.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...#ixzz4q9n6wWBI