HealthBridge's In-Home Care Blog

It's been an exciting summer for Alzheimer's research. 

The Alzheimer's Association has created an incredible new website to help caregivers track research developments.  A team of scientists developed a new brain scan that can detect the hallmark plaques of the disease. 

Now, here in Texas, a team of researchers has developed a blood test for Alzheimer's Disease. 

The Houston Chronicle interviewed the primary researcher on the project:

"If it's confirmed, this test will offer millions of geriatric patients across the country and the planet the opportunity at least to be screened annually," said Dr. Sid O'Bryant, a professor of neurology at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and the primary investigator of the study, in Hawaii. "Then, if it's positive they can go to a specialist and get a proper workup and start treatment."

The test, which measures a mix of more than 100 blood proteins, accurately classified those participants who had the disease and those who didn't 95 percent of the time. Blood samples were taken from about 600 people, split between those with and without the disease.

Many research teams are pursuing such a diagnostic tool, but Baylor College of Medicine team member Dr. Rachelle Doody said the Texas research is the most comprehensive and furthest along. The Texas team will publish a paper on the study in an undisclosed journal this fall, only the second ever such journal publication involving an Alzheimer's blood test.

Doody stressed that the study still needs to be replicated.

The team has submitted a grant request to the National Institutes of Health that would not only attempt to replicate the results, but also assess its ability to distinguish different types of Alzheimer's and to predict people's risk of developing the disease.

More than 5 million Americans have the degenerative brain disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association, and experts predict the number will double over the next 15 years as baby boomers age.

Texas has 340,000 people with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, an amount projected to grow to at least half a million by 2025.

The study was the product of the Texas Alzheimer's Research Consortium, a Legislature-created collaboration comprised of Baylor, Texas Tech, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

I'm so proud of the work we're doing here in Texas to fight Alzheimer's Disease.  We're among the first states to have a comprehensive State Plan for Alzheimer's Disease.  The Texas Alzheimer's Research Consortium is a shining example of how collaborating on the hardest problems can yield great results. 

We'll continue to keep you posted as these new Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis tests mature.  Until then, please continue to support the cause and continue to share your success stories with this community!

When did you begin to suspect your loved one might have a memory issue?

Twenty years ago, I started to suspect my grandma’s memory was slipping when she began retelling the same stories.  I know we're all a little guilty of repeating our favorite stories, but this was, well, different.

Was this a normal part of aging or something else?  

I didn't know it then, but my grandma had Alzheimer's Disease.

As I began to research how my grandma’s mind was changing, I was startled to discovery how difficult it was to find current, reliable information.  I knew there was research happening, but I didn’t know where to find it.  

To consolidate that information and make it accessible to busy caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Association has created a new website called the Alzheimer’s Association Research Center.  

The site acts as a filter, pulling in news and research and presenting it in a way that’s useful to the busy caregiver.  Here’s a little bit from the Association on how and why it developed the site:

"As I travel the country and talk to people whose families are affected by Alzheimer's disease, and as I read my daily e-mails, it is strikingly apparent that a wide range of people are genuinely interested in learning about what's happening in Alzheimer's science and when the next breakthroughs are going to come," said Angela Geiger, Chief Strategy Officer at the Alzheimer's Association. "The Alzheimer's Association is exploring innovative ways to advance research and also to engage and educate all kinds of people. This new website is an extension of this ever-expanding effort."

The innovative website seamlessly combines rich visuals with easy-to-understand content on a broad array of topics including:

• What Alzheimer's is, and how the disease progresses.
• Advances in treatments, diagnosis and prevention.
• How to volunteer for Alzheimer's clinical trials.
• Updates on key local, national and global research initiatives.

Important concepts about Alzheimer's the disease are explained and illustrated. Leading scientists are profiled. All of this and more is found at the "Research Center" in an easy-to-navigate presentation that enables users to quickly discover and connect with the information that matters most to them. Regular updates will include new information, interviews, graphics, and videos.

"Research is the most critical aspect of solving the Alzheimer crisis. This is why it is vital to have a place where people can go to find out about the latest Alzheimer research," Geiger said. "We listened to our constituents who said they wanted to know, learn and understand more. We hope this site serves as a catalyst for deeper understanding about Alzheimer research and a long-term dialogue with the public that encourages hope and engages them in the Alzheimer's cause."

Thanks to the Alzheimer's Association for creating this resource.  I know my family and our clients will use it often. 

How do you know if your loved one has Alzheimer's Disease?

Right now, you don't.  At least not definitively.  

You can have a pretty good idea based on a battery of clinical tests that allow you to eliminate other alternatives. But, even the smartest doctors at the best medical centers are often wrong. 

Twenty percent of people with dementia who received a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease did not have it.  Half of people with mild cognitive impairment were misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's.  

The only definitive way to diagnose Alzheimer's Disease is through an autopsy.  

Why is Alzheimer's Disease so hard to diagnose? 

A person with memory loss doesn't necessarily have Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's Disease is plaque in the brain plus memory loss and mental decline.  Doctors can't see the plaque in the brain without an autopsy.  They have to rely on other tests to make their best guess at the diagnosis.  

Not being able to see the plaque in living patients presents two big problems: 

1. It means doctors can't tell if the disease is progressing in your loved one.
2. Doctors can't tell if people with plaque, but normal memories, are developing Alzheimer's Disease. 
   

An accurate diagnosis, at last.  

Finding a trustworthy diagnosis for Alzheimer's Disease is the mission of Dr. Daniel Skovronsky and his team at Avid Radiopharmaceuticals.  

Avid discovered a dye that, combined with a brain scan, shows the hallmark plaque collecting in the brains of people with Alzheimer's Disease.  

The dye and scan are still being tested, but the preliminary findings are astounding, according to the New York Times.

A man diagnosed with Alzheimer's and cancer had a scan showing no plaque.  His autopsy did not show it either.  The diagnosis was wrong.  Another man with Parkinson's disease and dementia had been diagnosed as having dementia solely due to Parkinson's.  His scan showed amyloid.  So did the autopsy.  He had Alzheimer's.  A woman with mild memory loss had a scan showing no amyloid.  Her autopsy also found none.  Three others had clinical diagnoses of Alzheimer's, confirmed by scans and autopsies.  

This means doctors will, for the first time, have a reliable way to diagnose the presence of Alzheimer's Disease in patients with memory problems.  And people with a small build up of plaque, but no memory impairment, can immediately begin treatment to stave off the disease. 

The findings must still be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.  But, if they hold up, we will finally have a trustworthy way to diagnose Alzheimer's Disease.  

How will your life as an Alzheimer's caregiver change, if this accurate diagnosis method comes to pass?