Could combining biomarkers provide more accurate early diagnosis of dementia?

This research study was presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. Previous research has typically concentrated on one area.

The study led by Dr Susan Landau involved measurement of brain volume by scans, combined with detection of the tau protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and genetic profiling. The research suggests that combining these biomarkers provided more accurate predictions of who would develop mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.

Dr Michael Ewers and Dr Bokde combined their expertise in biomarkers and MRI imaging to tackle the complexity of dementia. They suggest combining cognitive tests with the detection of biomarkers through CSF sampling and MRI scans significantly increases accuracy of diagnosis.

Research presented by Dawn Matthews observed the amount of glucose and glucose metabolism in 32 regions of the brain using PET scans. This technology has been used to diagnose and differentiate between types of dementia. The research shows that scanning of the hippocampus was particularly accurate for diagnosing dementia.

Alzheimer's Society comment:

'Earlier and more accurate diagnosis is a priority for improving quality of life for people with dementia. Research into biomarkers is crucial to identify how new diagnostic tools could be developed. These studies highlight the benefits of observing a variety of different factors to detect changes in the brain and reflect the complexity of dementia.

There is currently a serious lack of PET scanning facilities in the UK. As more diagnostic scanning techniques are developed, it will be essential to invest in this resource to make it more widely available to the public. More research is needed in this area to allow techniques to be perfected.  

One million people will develop dementia in the next ten years, yet the government invests just 2% of its medical research budget on dementia. Dementia is the health challenge of our generation, it is absolutely vital that dementia research funding is tripled.'

Professor Clive Ballard
Director of Research
Alzheimer's Society

Reference:

• Dawn Matthews - Hippocampul glucose metabolism predicts cognitive decline      
• Susan Landau - Comparing predictors of conversion Data from Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative               
• Michael Ewers - Multidimensional biomarkers based-diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease             
  
• Visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/icad for the latest Alzheimer's Society responses to news from the conference.
• Visit www.alz.org/icad the official website of ICAD, the world's leading forum on dementia research.