New Brain Test to Monitor Alzheimer's DiseaseMarch 15, 2004A new test that taps brain records so accurately it caught out a serial killer, could soon be used by pharmaceutical companies to speed up approval of drugs for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases, reports Marina Murphy in Chemistry & Industry Magazine. 'Brain Fingerprinting' is the patented technology that can measure objectively, for the first time, how memory and cognitive functioning of Alzheimer sufferers are affected by medications. First generation tests have proven to be more accurate than other routinely used tests, and could be commercially available in 18-24 months. The 30 minute test involves wearing a headband with built-in electrodes; technicians then present words, phrases and images that are both known and unknown to the patient to determine whether information that should be in the brain is still there. When presented with familiar information, the brain responds by producing MERMERs, specific increases in neuron activity. The technician can use this response to measure how quickly information is disappearing from the brain and whether the drugs they are taking are slowing down the process. Another potential application of the test is identifying trained terrorists before they strike. With the right questions, it is possible to detect records in the brain of crimes committed or in the planning or information specific to terrorist groups or gangs. The test has been judged scientifically rigorous enough to be admissible in court. Already it has been used to trap a serial killer and free a man jailed for a crime he says he did not commit. A full copy of the article is available from the SCI Press Office: Email press@soci.org Tel: +44 (0) 20 7598 1573 or 1571 Society of Chemical Industry |
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| Related Alzheimer Disease Current Events and Alzheimer Disease News Articles Delirium in hospitalized adults: Situation critical, no relief available Every year as many as seven million adults in the United States experience delirium during hospitalization. New data demonstrate potential for early detection of Alzheimer's disease Data published in the June issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease demonstrated that minimally-invasive biospectroscopy was able to identify changes in oxidative stress (OS) levels in blood plasma, which may prove to be a useful biomarker in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Another McGill/JGH breakthrough opens door to early Alzheimer's diagnosis A new diagnostic technique which may greatly simplify the detection of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital (JGH). Measuring brain atrophy in patients with mild cognitive impairment Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown that a fully automated procedure called Volumetric MRI - which measures the "memory centers" of the brain and compares them to expected size - is effective in predicting the progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease. Commonly used medications may produce cognitive impairment in older adults Many drugs commonly prescribed to older adults for a variety of common medical conditions including allergies, hypertension, asthma, and cardiovascular disease appear to negatively affect the aging brain causing immediate but possibly reversible cognitive impairment, including delirium, in older adults. Commonly used ulcer drugs may offer treatment potential in Alzheimer's disease In a new study, published in the May issue of Elsevier's Experimental Neurology, scientists at the University of British Columbia have discovered that drugs commonly used to treat ulcers have significant neuroprotective properties, which appear to be enhanced when used in combination with ibuprofen, a widely used anti-inflammatory drug. New test for mysterious metabolic diseases developed at Stanford/Packard Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a much-needed way to monitor and find treatments for a mysterious and devastating group of metabolic diseases that arise from mutations in cells' fuel-burning mechanism. Recalibrating 'fight or flight' A Canadian/U.S. research team has reported a novel approach to stimulating recovery from chronic stress disorders. Details of the therapeutic model, which exploits the natural dynamics of the body's "fight or flight" system, are published January 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology Vitamin B does not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's A clinical trial led by Paul S. Aisen, M.D., professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that high-dose vitamin B supplements did not slow the rate of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease. Protecting patient privacy the new fashioned way Protecting patient privacy has been recognized as the duty of health-care providers for about as long as doctors have seen patients. In 1996 that duty became a legal obligation when Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. More Alzheimer Disease Current Events and Alzheimer Disease News Articles |
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