Spring Arbor Living Blog

Disease develops years before symptoms show.

New guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease set forth methods for identifying the disease before it progresses to full-blown dementia, and for the first time include lab and brain-imaging tests that can help identify Alzheimer's as the likely cause of a person's mental decline.

The guidelines, revised for the first time in 27 years, reflect a firm consensus among Alzheimer's researchers that the disease begins to attack the intricate structures of the brain 10 years or more before the disabling mental problems appear. Therefore, to be effective, drug or other therapies will have to begin work early in that process.

So far, though, there are no therapies that alter the course of Alzheimer's disease. And in a media briefing, authors of the new diagnosis guidelines emphasized that while testing for Alzheimer's pathology in the brain may one day be used to identify the disease at much earlier stages, today the tests are primarily a research tool. They are not ready for routine use in doctors' offices.

Delaying disability

Even so, doctors hope the new diagnostic criteria encourage people with worrisome memory problems to seek help. There's a lot patients and their families can do to minimize the impact of Alzheimer's, from structuring the patient's environment to optimizing medical care, activities, exercise and diet.

New tests outlined in the guidelines involve looking at the brain with imaging technologies and examining the fluid obtained by a spinal tap. The imaging studies can reveal so-called plaques made up of a protein called amyloid, a defining feature of Alzheimer's. They also can indicate characteristic patterns of shrinkage or reduced metabolic activity in the brain. The cerebrospinal fluid tests look for levels of amyloid as well as of another protein, tau, which makes up the twisted strands or "tangles" that, like plaques, are signature brain pathology in Alzheimer's.

Weaknesses of the tests

Research studies have demonstrated that all these tests can help identify Alzheimer's as the cause of a patient's dementia, and can help predict which patients with milder symptoms will go on to develop dementia. But the tests aren't conclusive in themselves. They aren't standardized so that a certain result means the same thing in every medical center. And there's no clear cutoff separating normal findings from those indicating a problem.

Original article by: Katharine Greider from AARP Bulletin

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In 2006, experts at Johns Hopkins University estimated that over 26 million people globally were living with Alzheimer’s disease. They also projected that instances of Alzheimer’s disease would increase globally to more than 106 million cases by the year 2050. By that time, 43% of Alzheimer’s patients will require high-level health care from highly skilled assisted living facilities. These troubling statistics were presented at conference for the prevention of dementia in Washington, D.C. on June 10.

The good news is that there is also growing body of evidence that suggests there are thing we can do to ward of the signs and symptoms of decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. And it may be as simple as adding apple juice to our diets. Thomas B. Shea, PhD, and his team of researchers have conducted several laboratory studies which indicate that mice performed better than average in maze tests after drinking apple juice. It also seems to have prevented the normal decline in performance observed in the mice as they age.

In their most recent study, Shea and his colleagues found that mice who were giving the equivalent of 2 glasses of apple juice a day for an entire month produce less beta-amyloid, a protein fragment that is the cause of “senile plaques” that form in the brains of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s. The findings are significant because they suggest that something as simple as drinking apple juice routinely can improve brain function and possible delay key symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The delayed onset of Alzheimer’s behaviors isn’t the only reason to drink apple juice. Here are some other benefits of drinking the beverage regularly:

• It contains nutrients and vitamins that may protect the body from other illnesses, like common colds.
• Apple juice also contains antioxidants, which are known to help prevent heart disease the development of some cancers.
• It can help reduce cholesterol.
• When consumed in moderation, it may also help promote weight loss.

Be sure to contact us should you have any questions about Alzheimer's or how we can provide custom care plans for individuals with this disease. We encourage you to seek out support as you take this journey and allow us to join you along the way.

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