Patients Exhibiting Early Signs of Alzheimer's Need More Attentions: Study

A new study carried out by a team of researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom suggests that the Alzheimer's test should actually look a wider range of signs related to memory loss that take place during the early stages of the disease.

According to the researchers, tests conducted on animals indicate that patients suffering from Alzheimer's could be benefitted, especially in terms of long-term memory loss, if they undergo earlier tests. These tests are currently not a part of the usual line of tests done on the patients.

In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, the researchers explain that identifying early signs of Alzheimer's is a crucial step toward devising an effective line of treatment for the patient. However, the team does agree on the fact that early signs are often difficult to identify and diagnose.

Richard Morris, study co-author from the University of Edinburgh says that a majority of research conducted around this disease usually focus on easily identifiable and severe symptoms associated with Alzheimer's, which usually show up during the later stages of life.

Morris further explains how treatment becomes difficult for patients during the late stage of the disease. By then, plaques are formed in the human brain and there is hardly anything that the doctors are able to do.

Therefore, it is important to diagnose the early signs associated with the disease. It leaves time for the physicians to think about the drug they could use to curb the progression and the future course of treatment that would help cure the disease.

To arrive at the findings, the researchers conducted their study on a group of transgenic mice. The mice were treated with mutations that form Alzheimer-like condition in them. The group of mice with early signs of Alzheimer's and another group of healthy mice were trained to navigate their way through a hidden pool of water using specific signs and markers.

The team discovered that the mice with Alzheimer's performed worst on the test and they were not able to remember the position of the markers. In addition, these mice showed a drop in the amount of glucose that their brains were using.