USA: SCIENTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN LOS ANGELES HAVE COME UP WITH A NEW WAY TO DETECT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Record ID: 859979

  • Title: USA: SCIENTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN LOS ANGELES HAVE COME UP WITH A NEW WAY TO DETECT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
  • Date: 10th January 2002
  • Summary: (W8) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 10, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) CU/SV DR JORGE BARRIO EXAMINING BRAIN SCANS (3 SHOTS) CU BRAIN IMAGE SHOWING THE EFFECTS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE SV/MCU LEAD INVESTIGATOR DE JORGE BARRIO IN THE LABORATORY (2 SHOTS) MCU (English) DR JORGE BARRIO SAYING: "This technique allows us to go directly to the lesions and not necessarily to the symptoms and of course lesions will occur well before symptoms will appear ." CU VIALS OF CHEMICALS USED AS A MARKER TO IMAGE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 25th January 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS UNIDENTIFIED LOCATIONS
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Health,Quirky,Royalty,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA2X6EVCGHOEJ0KIDK9RQ03HEJ7
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles have come up with a new way to detect Alzheimer's Disease, before the symptoms emerge. These brain scans could potentially lead to earlier detection and treatment and possibly even a cure.
    New images which show the plaques and tangles which envelop the mind of an Alzheimer's sufferer could be a major breakthrough in diagnosing the ravaging illness. Scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles have developed a new way to detect changes in the brain before symptoms of the devastating disease begin.
    Lead investigator Dr Jorge Barrio says it could revolutionize the way Alzheimer's patients are treated, allowing physicians to do directly to the lesions and not wait for the symptoms to emerge. During testing a patient is injected with a new chemical called FDDNP which seeks out abnormal deposits in the brain. The patient then enters a PET (Positron emission tomography) scanner which shows where the chemical accumulates and consequently the plaques and tangles in the brain.
    The technique is still undergoing clinical trials, but the potential benefits for Alzheimer's sufferers are huge, earlier treatment substantially increasing the possibility of successful treatment and possibly even finding a cure.
    Demenetia-related diseases effect more than thirty percent of people over the age of 80. Alzheimer's Disease which is almost always fatal and has no cure effects more than four million Americans and millions more around the world. Dr Barrio hopes that this breakthrough will lead to new forms of treatment and potentially even a cure. He also plans to work with geriatric patients to identify and scan those at high risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease to treat them only.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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