Arizona, Pennsylvania researchers discover way to predict Alzheimer's
By Angela Gonzales
The Phoenix Business Journal
PHOENIX (March 31, 2009) -- Dr. Eric Reiman, executive director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, led a brain imaging study that found amyloid plaques developing in the brain foreshadow the onset of problems with memory and thought processes.
The findings could be crucial in developing plaque-busting treatments to prevent the disease. Amyloid plaques in the brain have long been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but questions remained among scientists as to whether plaque found in normal older adults increased their risk of developing the disease.
In the study published in the online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers in Arizona and Pittsburgh were able to provide early evidence that amyloid plaques in older people are related to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Reiman said.
