Posted on 06/22/2008 3:46:59 PM PDT by neverdem
The leader of the team that made the discovery, Professor Christopher Rowe of the Austin Hospital in Melbourne, says early diagnosis and treatment presents medical practitioners with the best opportunity to delay the onset of Alzheimer's.
"While the discovery is at an experimental stage, this work places Australia at the forefront of neuro-imaging in Alzheimer's disease," Professor Rowe says.
A 2004 Access Economics report calculated that if the average age of onset of Alzheimer's was raised by just five months, cumulative savings of A$1.3 billion would be realised by 2020 rising to A$6.6 billion by 2040.
Alzheimer's disease is characterised by very high levels of a molecule called beta-amyloid in the brain. The project has demonstrated that a neuro-imaging scan called PiB PET can be used to identify individuals who will develop Alzheimer's disease up to 18 months earlier than all currently available diagnostics.
PiB PET can show the beta-amyloid in the brain which potentially allows clinicians to distinguish patients with early Alzheimer's disease from others without the disease, even before clear signs of memory loss are present.
The research was undertaken as part of the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Flagship
Study of Ageing.
The AIBL Flagship Study of Ageing is a collaboration initiated by the CSIRO Preventative Health National Research Flagship. AIBL is a joint activity between the University of Melbourne, Edith Cowan University - Western Australia, Neurosciences Australia, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria and National Ageing Research Institute, and the Preventative Health Flagship.
The leader of the AIBL study, Professor David Ames, says the study has the potential to markedly reduce the burden this disabling illness places on both individuals and society.
"Early presymptomatic diagnosis is an essential development which will allow us to test new disease modifying therapies with the aim of delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease in susceptible individuals," Professor Ames says.
The Director of CSIRO's Preventative Health National Research Flagship, Dr Richard Head, says the result highlights the value of a national collaborative team working together on one of Australia's biggest challenges.
Alzheimer's Australia has worked closely with AIBL to attract and co-ordinate the many volunteers who have made this study possible.
"Alzheimer's Australia is pleased to be part of this very exciting research and we look forward to its continuation," Alzheimer's Australia National Executive Director, Glenn Rees, says.
The findings were presented at international meetings in the USA on June 16 and will be presented in July at the International Conference on Alzheimer's disease in Chicago.
The AIBL Flagship Study of Ageing is a collaboration initiated by the CSIRO Preventative Health National Research Flagship. AIBL is a joint activity between the University of Melbourne, Edith Cowan University - Western Australia, Neurosciences Australia, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria and National Ageing Research Institute, and the Preventative Health Flagship. The Biomedical Imaging Team from the Australian eHealth Research Centre is collaborating with the AIBL Study by developing image analysis methods to quantify disease progression with Magnetic Resonance and Positron Emission Tomography images.
National Research Flagships
CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions in response to Australia's major research challenges and opportunities. The nine Flagships form multidisciplinary teams with industry and the research community to deliver impact and benefits for Australia.
Source: Professor David Ames CSIRO Australia
Sure it's abundant. But, it is so tightly chemically bound in nature that it is not generally bio-assimilated.
However, when it is refined in its pure state by a very unnatural method, it exists in a very unstable form that can dissolve into food and drink when there is a sight acid or alkaline condition.
Case in point, put some tomato sauce in aluminum foil and watch what happens.
Bear in mind, aluminum was not used with food and drink products until after WWII. I believe that my grandmother died of Alzheimer's. She had all the symptoms. They just didn't have a name for it. She drank coffee, an acidic solution, from an aluminum coffee pot for as long as I can remember.
Timely posting. I am making an appointment to find out if my mom is experiencing early Alzheimer’s. Her dad had advanced stages in his 70s. I will be working on this all week, I detest going to the doctor’s office unarmed.
I have a backgound in chemistry and know a PhD. professor of geochemistry who has come to the same conclusion as I have.
It has not been discredited. It's just no one wants to endure the wrath of the milti-billion dollar aluminum industry by declaring it as the cause.
All victims have aluminum deposits in their brains. If amyloid plaques trap metals, why is it that only aluminum is trapped? What about iron? The body is loaded with it.
I had read that the only definitive way to diagnose Alzheimers is on autopsy of the brain, so why are they diagnosing it so much?
The docs said my dad had Alzheimers, but, in fact, he had a horrible stroke and then suffered major neurological deficits which continued til his death. My mother-in-law is said to have Alzheimers but, others have said it is simply dementia.
There is a good book out now by a physician saying that Alzheimers is turning into a big money making endeavor.
Source: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=99
I used to have that problem, then I bough a one-level house. Totally cured me overnight.
Hopefully you'll remember that when you're 75.
Everyone has to come to their own conclusion.
Oh well, it looks like there's going to be a lot of unnecessary suffering before this country acknowledges that using aluminum with food products makes about as much sense as using lead.
There are quite a few people who think mercury is the culprit. Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known, a neurotoxin. It’s far more toxic even than lead, and both are far more toxic than aluminum. The largest single source of mercury exposure is dental amalgam fillings, which are a whopping 50% mercury.
That’s wonderful. I wish you the best.
Autopsy, or biopsy if there's a unique situation, e.g. trauma, gives the definitive diagnosis. Sometimes you have to make a make a presumptive diagnosis for third party payors so Alzheimer's meds can be given.
Neuropsychological Tests Used In The Evaluation Of Alzheimer's Disease
Thanks for the links.
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