DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging have found a new marker that might aid in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
"The findings of this study implicate a potential functional, rather than structural, brain marker -- separate from atrophy -- that may help enhance diagnosis and treatment monitoring of Alzheimer’s patients,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Jeffrey Petrella, an associate professor of radiology at Duke University Medical Center.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder characterized by memory loss, confusion, personality or behavioral changes and other symptoms.
"As new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease enter the pipeline over the next five years, early diagnosis will become critical for patient selection," Petrella said. "fMRI may play a key role in early diagnosis, when combined with clinical, genetic and other imaging markers."
The research is reported in the October issue of the journal Radiology.
