Alzheimer’s disease symptoms preceded by decade-long brain shrinking

Alzheimer's disease symptoms preceded by decade-long brain shrinking

Alzheimer's disease symptoms may not show until ten years after the brain starts to shrink, according to a report published this week in the journal Neurology.

In the study, Rush University Medical Center found that seven of 32 persons they monitored for seven years developed Alzheimer's disease. Another group monitored for 11 years by Massachusetts General Hospital showed that eight of 33 people developed the insidious disease.

Brain imaging tests conducted on the participants showed that even moderate shrinking of the brain resulted to Alzheimer's later on for 20 percent of the participants.

"We could differentiate those who would decline from those who would remain healthy," said study author Leyla deToledo-Morrell, who is the director of the neuroscience graduate program at Rush University Medical Center.

The new study supports other research that subtle changes in the brain may begin years, if not decades, earlier before the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Among the areas with most dramatic shrinking among diagnosed with the condition are the temporal lobe, medial temporal lobe and the superior frontal gyrus.

Although changes in the brain is expected with old age, the cognitive decline is much more significant among those with Alzheimer's disease.

It is also known that having diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease increases the risk of developing the condition.

Health experts are keen on developing methods to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease in order to save more brain cells as early as possible and delay the progression of the disease.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday April 14 2011, 11:51 PM EST. Ref: Business Week. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0