A mild alteration in the hippocampus, the seat of memory in the brain, could predict who is likely to develop Alzheimer's disease almost a decade before the symptoms of the disease set in, researchers have said. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder in which brain cells are wasted away, resulting in dementia.
Lisa Mosconi, lead author of the study and professor at New York University School of Medicine, scanned the brains of 53 healthy people through positron emission tomography (PET) scan. A follow-up of 24 years showed that six of the 53 had developed Alzheimer’s and 19 had developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to the disease. The scan had shown a 15 to 40 per cent reduction in activity in the hippocampus of these people.
“We found the earliest predictor. The hippocampus seems to be the very first region to be affected,” said Mosconi.
However, she agreed that extensive further studies are required to establish the effectiveness of the PET scan in detecting Alzheimer’s. Hippocampus, which is situated on the inner aspect of the temporal lobe, is involved in memory storage and is damaged in those suffering from Alzheimer's.
“Detecting these signs early is beneficial because it includes the ability to plan for the future. It gives the patient and the family time to understand the disease. It’s exciting that we can even talk about prevention,” said William Thies of the Alzheimer’s Association.
