Beta-Amyloid May Identify Alzheimer’s Disease
Jan. 18, 2011 -- Two new studies suggest the protein fragment beta-amyloid may be a useful biomarker to identify people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers have long searched for such biomarkers to identify those at risk for Alzheimer’s early in the course of the disease, before significant dementia occurs. That search has largely focused on beta-amyloid, which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
A definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease requires the presence of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain at autopsy.
The new studies suggest the protein may be a useful marker of disease long before death occurs.
Both studies appear Wednesday in TheJournal of the American Medical Association.
When a Loved One Has Alzheimer's
Researchers have long searched for such biomarkers to identify those at risk for Alzheimer’s early in the course of the disease, before significant dementia occurs. That search has largely focused on beta-amyloid, which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
A definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease requires the presence of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain at autopsy.
The new studies suggest the protein may be a useful marker of disease long before death occurs.
Both studies appear Wednesday in TheJournal of the American Medical Association.
When a Loved One Has Alzheimer's