Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School recently presented findings that may aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of people with cognitive deficits. This new information may help in combating afflictions such as Alzheimer's disease, which affects approximately 4.5 million Americans.
Andrew Saykin, a professor of psychiatry, radiology and computer science at Dartmouth College and Medical School, led the team of researchers in a study of 90 older adults. One-third of these study participants had experienced no significant memory loss, another third had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is an isolated type of memory deficit not including dementia, and the final third complained of memory loss but did not meet the criteria for an MCI diagnosis. The latter group had numerous cognitive complaints but performed within normal limits on a detailed battery of neuropsychological tests.
"The current project is a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute on Aging," Saykin said. Saykin's team is currently in its third year of research on a five-year grant.
The group of researchers from Dartmouth Medical School utilized a series of magnetic resonance imaging scans to look for patterns of gray and white matter atrophy and functional changes in brain activity in the study participants.
Comparisons of the MRI scans of healthy controls to those participants who had been diagnosed with MCI and those who had complained of memory loss but tested within normal limits showed nearly identical patterns of reduction of brain activity during working memory processing and gray matter atrophy.
According to Saykin, the similarities that were found in the MRI scans of the two separate groups may indicate that many of those subjects may be in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. By utilizing advanced imaging technology, doctors may have a method of diagnosing Alzheimer's in its formative or "preclinical" stages. He also noted that it is important to identify those individuals who are unlikely to progress to dementia.
In addition to the potential for diagnosing Alzheimer's early, the study may also prove to be instrumental in the treatment of memory impairments.
"Another goal of the research program is finding new, improved methodologies for monitoring the effects of treatment," Saykin said.
Such imaging could help assess treatment options, and its early diagnosis capability will potentially be advantageous to treatment and prevention including vaccines and neuroprotective drugs.
Saykin and his team plan to expand their research on aging, memory and Alzheimer's and will collaborate with other researchers as part of a new National Institutes of Health sponsored Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative beginning in 2005. Their most recent findings were presented at the Ninth International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Philadelphia on July 20.
