Brain Scans Assess Alzheimer’s Risk

New York University School of Medicine researchers say their brain scan-based computer program can assess Alzheimer’s disease risks.

They say their system quickly and accurately measures metabolic activity in a key region of the brain affected in the early stages of the disease.

Lisa Mosconi, who developed the computer program, said the findings need to be replicated but noted the technique may be used to screen for Alzheimer’s in individuals who aren’t cognitively impaired.

The technical details of the study appear in the June 2005 issue of the journal Neurology.

In a related study, the University of California pointed to the advantages of a non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging. The study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center said the technique called arterial spin labeling can be just as accurate as invasive scanning techniques in distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease from fronto-temporal dementia in the brains of elderly people.

In the study, led by Norbert Schuff, arterial spin labeling successfully distinguished between Alzheimer’s and FTD patients, and also people without dementia. FTD is a degenerative condition involving the front part of the brain. It is the second-most common dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.