A recent breakthrough in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's has been made which could allow doctors to spot the changes in the brain earlier than ever before.
Alzheimer’s is often considered a particularly cruel disease, robbing a person of their independence and memory before taking their life.
Researchers are continuously hoping to find ways to diagnose it sooner rather than later in order to start treatment to slow down the progress of the disease.
British scientists may have found a way to spot the signs with a technique which could give hope to those who are fearful they could end up getting the disease.
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The scan can spot subtle changes to the cortical region, the outer layer of the brain responsible for functions including memory and decision-making.
After a series of scans that analyse the cell structure of the brain, doctors can see changes to the brain far earlier, at a level normally only possible via a post-mortem examination.
Dr Steven Chance, former associate professor of neuroscience at Oxford, and Professor Mark Jenkinson, a leading expert in brain imaging, founded the company behind the technique, Oxford Brain Diagnostics, and have spoken about this breakthrough.
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Dr Chance said: “The core technology is founded on my background, looking at the microscopic structure of brains at autopsy for many years. You couldn't do that with a living patient and this is what we needed.
“More than 20 percent of those over 50 have Alzheimer's-type changes, small-scale changes that would be otherwise invisible.
“These breakthroughs open up a whole new way of monitoring brain health."
How does cortical disarray measurement work?
The Oxford Brain Diagnostics website goes into great detail about the tech, explaining: “Only our proprietary technology analyses grey matter quality and uncovers insights of the kind that we do, based on changes in the brain at a cellular level.
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“Our sophisticated diffusion analysis is based on a deep understanding of neuropathology, and the correlations between microscopic brain data and MRI analysis. Our histology model is built with scientific rigor and validated by post-mortem comparison at the microscopic scale.”
The process has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the US Food and Drug Administration, with Dr Chance adding that the technology, when applied, could bring a transformative impact to those who may suffer from the illness. He noted it can offer hope to 'millions of people who are seeking a non-invasive, precision diagnostic tool to reveal the truth about their brain health'.
The head of policy at Alzheimer's Research UK, David Thomas, welcomed this development and said it was a step in the right direction. However he noted there was still a long way to go and would ultimately like to see it in the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
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He said: “Dementia is caused by diseases that often begin years before symptoms appear, and so finding new ways to detect these diseases earlier is vital.
“There is a huge amount of progress happening in this space and it's encouraging to see UK companies contributing to that.
“While this technology shows promise for diagnosing dementia earlier, so far it has only been validated in research settings.
“We're still some way off it being used within the NHS and we would need to see much more real-world clinical data to fully understand its potential.
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“Improving early and accurate diagnosis is crucial—not only to give people clarity about their condition but also to ensure they can access the right support and, in future, new treatments as they become available.”
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and sufferers can have different symptoms of varying magnitude.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the disease can weaken or completely eliminate a person’s:
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- Memory
- Reasoning
- Language
- Behavior and personality
- Spatial understanding
Gerrard Kaonga