HEALTH - ITALIA

Alzheimer 's, here's a "neurotermometro"
allowing you to anticipate the diagnosis

A team of San Raffaele has verified that through a Pet and a specific marker you can seize any alterations in sending electrical impulses between neurons and therefore "predict" the arrival of the disease and cure (more effective) since the initial Stadium

I read it after

MILAN -late diagnosis often is one of the reasons that makes ineffective anti-Alzheimer's therapies. international research for years has focused his efforts on systems that allow to detect early onset of the disease. In this direction also moved a team of Italian researchers at the Hospital San Raffaele of Milan, whose studio says now that using Pet (positron emission tomography) and a particular tracer you can diagnose Alzheimer's presence already in the early stages.

The study, coordinated by Daniela Perani and published in the Journal of Alzheimer's disease, would have shown that the use of a new "spy" molecular work by ' neurotermometro ', allowing therefore to assess the presence of Alzheimer's in its early stages when clinical symptoms of decay are mild.

The scientists saw that the alteration of cholinergic activity-i.e. that of molecular system composed of the synapses and neurotransmitters, sending electrical impulses between neurons-non adjusts itself only when Alzheimer's is in full-blown phase, but also occurs when the deficit is minimal. The problem of medical research is how to "discover" minimal symptoms, that this change is already under way and according to the team of San Raffaele this determination is possible through a particular Pet tracer-11 c MP4-capable of measuring the activity

cholinesterase, cholinergic activity crucial enzyme.

The tracer 11 c MP4, according to the study, has therefore proved to be a ' neurotermometro ' very sensitive and specific for preclinical phase of this form of dementia. The impaired functioning of the transmission of impulses on biochemical basis in fact precedes the onset of the disease and explains partly memory deficits. This process has been confirmed by the study: in a range of 12-18 months, in 95% of patients with this positive biomarkers has been manifested since the illness. The researchers ' conclusion is that using this biomarker and the Pet is therefore possible to monitor disease progression and then intervene in preclinical stage, when therapeutic intervention can be more effective.