Loss of Smell as Early Indicator of Alzheimer's - Reports from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference

[ABSTRACT]

The Alzheimer’s research community is focused on finding effective therapies for patients who do not yet exhibit symptoms of cognitive impairment.  This search is based on an assumption that once a person shows clear signs of Alzheimer’s, the brain is too damaged to respond to drug treatments.

Given this focus, it is imperative to develop screening methods to accurately identify people who are likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in the future.  Currently, researchers identify high-risk individuals through either a PET scan or a spinal tap.  Both tests reveal whether a person has an elevated level of Abeta protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.  Problems with these screening methods include (1) the reluctance of patients to undergo invasive testing, (2) the expense, and (3) the number of false positives, since not everyone with elevated Abeta levels develop Alzheimer’s.

Therefore, the hunt is on to develop tests to identify people at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease that are (1) non-invasive, (2) easy to administer, (3) highly predictive and (4) inexpensive.

To see the full post as well as a video on these developments visit http://whiteoakcottages.com/cant-smell-the-difference-between-coffee-and-lemon-you-may-be-at-risk-fo...