Attention test suggests early start for Alzheimer’s
6 Dec 2010 by Evoluted New Media
Alzheimer’s disease may begin as early as 40 say researchers who have developed simple attention test to predict which individuals might develop the disease
Alzheimer’s disease may begin as early as 40 say researchers who have developed simple attention test to predict which individuals might develop the disease
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Scientists identify white matter lesions in people in their 40s |
Researchers from Brunel University – led by Leverhulme Research Fellow Professor David Bunce – used MRI to identify white matter lesions in the brains of healthy adults aged between 44 and 48. These lesions were similar to those found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
“We identified the minute lesions through structural MRI. The lesions show up as tiny signals in the white matter – so-called white matter hyperintensity,” Bunce told Laboratory News.
“Although we cannot be sure that these middle-aged people will go on to get dementia, the results are important,” said Bunce, “The study is one of the first to show that lesions in the areas of the brain that deteriorate in dementia are present in some adults aged in their 40s.”
Researchers found they were able to predict which individuals may develop these lesions through a simple-to-administer measure of attention.
“The attentional test consisted of a series of stimuli which when presented, the participant has to respond to as quickly and as accurately as possible. We recorded the reaction times (RTs) for these responses and then computed a measure of the variability across RTs for each individual,” Bunce told Laboratory News, “We found that those persons who were more variable or erratic in their RTs were more likely to have minute lesions. It is possible that the greater RT fluctuations in persons with lesions reflects a wavering attentional or executive control mechanism.”
If the findings can be repeated in other laboratories, Bunce believes it may be possible to screen for Alzheimer’s and detect the disease earlier. Further research will involve looking at the demographic lifestyle and genetic factors to see if they explain the lesions. Bunce hopes to secure further funding to follow participants for several years, repeating the tests at regular intervals.
“The earlier we can intervene with people vulnerable to eventual dementia, the greater the chances of preventing or delaying the disease onset,” he said.
