Study points to new diagnostic tool

VIENNA, July 12 (UPI) -- Mayo Clinic researchers plan to present a study on new techniques to diagnose dementia at a conference in Vienna, the clinic announced Saturday.

Researchers developed a framework for using an MRI to create a differential diagnosis of three common neurodegenerative disorders. They will present at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease July 11.

Their study created a framework for using a structural MRI to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Lewy body disease. This will be the first method to diagnose these three disorders in living patients, the researchers said.

"The next step would be to test the framework on a larger population to see if we can replicate these results and improve the accuracy level we achieved in this proof of concept study. In turn, this may lead to better treatment options for dementia patients," said Prashanthi Vemuri, the lead author of the study.

Vemuri is a senior research fellow in the aging and dementia imaging research lab at the Mayo Clinic.