An exhaustive search for clues has uncovered a set of warning sign symptoms for Alzheimer's disease that occur before the illness is diagnosed.
Scientists crunched data from 47 studies involving 1,207 people who developed Alzheimer's and 9,097 others who stayed healthy. They identified a number of tell-tale pre-clinical problems that predicted later Alzheimer's.
These included declines in all-round mental ability, episodic memory, perceptual speed, and executive functioning - the brain's ability to absorb information.
Smaller deficits were seen in verbal ability, visuo-spatial skill, and attention.
However, the findings, published in the journal Neuropsychology, present experts with a problem.
Many of the symptoms mirror those seen in normal ageing, only they are more pronounced. Making a reliable early diagnosis of Alzheimer's will mean being able to spot the differences accurately.
Dr Lars Backman, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who led the study, said: "There are no clear qualitative differences in patterns of cognitive impairment between the normal 75-year-old and the preclinical AD (Alzheimer's disease) counterpart.
"Rather, we think of the normal elderly person, the preclinical AD person, and the early clinical AD patient as representing three instances on a continuum of cognitive capabilities. This presents an obvious challenge for accurate early diagnosis."
Link... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1797
Scientists crunched data from 47 studies involving 1,207 people who developed Alzheimer's and 9,097 others who stayed healthy. They identified a number of tell-tale pre-clinical problems that predicted later Alzheimer's.
These included declines in all-round mental ability, episodic memory, perceptual speed, and executive functioning - the brain's ability to absorb information.
Smaller deficits were seen in verbal ability, visuo-spatial skill, and attention.
However, the findings, published in the journal Neuropsychology, present experts with a problem.
Many of the symptoms mirror those seen in normal ageing, only they are more pronounced. Making a reliable early diagnosis of Alzheimer's will mean being able to spot the differences accurately.
Dr Lars Backman, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who led the study, said: "There are no clear qualitative differences in patterns of cognitive impairment between the normal 75-year-old and the preclinical AD (Alzheimer's disease) counterpart.
"Rather, we think of the normal elderly person, the preclinical AD person, and the early clinical AD patient as representing three instances on a continuum of cognitive capabilities. This presents an obvious challenge for accurate early diagnosis."
Link... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1797