Radiologists Identify Early Brain Marker of Alzheimer's Disease

by Barbara Kram, Editor | October 02, 2007

While previous studies have suggested that MTL activation may be a possible marker of Alzheimer's, based on the findings, Dr. Petrella and colleagues concluded that, compared to activation in the MTL, deactivation in the PMC may represent a more sensitive marker of early Alzheimer's disease.

"In other words, the brain not only loses its ability to turn on in certain regions, but also loses its ability to turn off in other regions, and the latter may be a more sensitive marker. These findings give us insight into how the brain's memory networks break down, remodel and finally fail as memory impairment ensues," Dr. Petrella said.

Training and education based on your needs

Stay up to date with the latest training to fix, troubleshoot, and maintain your critical care devices. GE HealthCare offers multiple training formats to empower teams and expand knowledge, saving you time and money

The researchers hope that fMRI will eventually help to identify patients at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.

The next step is to conduct a large, multicenter study to see if fMRI can be combined with other imaging and genetic tests to scan for future disease," said study co-author P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., chief of the Division of Biological Psychiatry and Alzheimer's clinical trial expert at Duke. "Much like a negative colonoscopy gives you reassurance, a normal fMRI may, in the future, also offer predictive value."

# # #

Journal attribution:

Radiology is a monthly scientific journal devoted to clinical radiology and allied sciences. The journal is edited by Anthony V. Proto, M.D., School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. Radiology is owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA.org/radiologyjnl)

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is an association of more than 40,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

"Cortical Deactivation in Mild Cognitive Impairment." Collaborating with Drs. Petrella and Doraiswamy on this paper were Lihong Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Sriyesh Krishnan, M.D., Melissa J. Slavin, Ph.D., Steven E. Prince, B.S., and Thanh-Thu T. Tran, B.S.

Back to HCB News