Could Novel Brain Scans Diagnose Alzheimer's Disease Early?

A new study shows how certain brain scans can show the build-up of tau in the brains of people who are suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Researchers believe this method could help diagnose the condition in its primary stages and accumulate advanced stages that could be detected during an autopsy. 

Tangles commonly found in the brain that twist fibers of a protein are known as 'tau' that accumulate inside brain cells. The latest research conducted by Japanese scientists could potentially revolutionize the detection of Alzheimer's disease in people, according to background information from the study.

The National Institute of Aging notes that Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking abilities. The latest data from the Alzheimer's Association has shown that over 5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. This number is expected to grow from 13.8 to 16 million by 2050. However, as scientists are gaining a better understanding regarding the disease, they are hoping to grasp the issues behind the debilitating disease that could possibly lower the number of individual's affected.

Brains of those suffering from Alzheimer's disease have physical changes due to the build-up of these tau protein. However, researchers note that spotting these changes are usually difficult.

Now, researchers at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba have built a 3D picture of tau in the brain that uses positron emission tomography, according to the BBC.

The news organization notes that a team of experts actually developed a chemical that can adhere to the tau. Experts can now use these scans in order to detect the presence of chemicals in order to better study mice and human subjects.

The disease may also affect the brain when producing a toxic molecule called amyloid beta. These molecules clump together in the brain and form a plague that disrupts the normal functioning of the organ. Yet the body's defense against it is to remove molecules that harm the process. For even this researchers believe that amyloid beta can help detect the problem.

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More information regarding the study can be found in the journal Neuron.