New blood test able to find early alzhiemers before sysmptoms show

Science and Technology
1

http://machineslikeus.com/news/new-blood-test-detects-alzheimers-disease-10-years-diagnosis
This could lead to a huge advance in our fight against this disease.

2

That does sound like good news. NanoSomix, the private company that owns the rights, is making it available to researchers and pharmaceutical companies to use in research. Hopefully, by the time it comes to market, I will be able to remember to ask my doctor about getting the test.

3

What would you do if you had a positive test, seeing there’s no preventative, cure or effective treatment?
Lois

4
What would you do if you had a positive test, seeing there's no preventative, cure or effective treatment? Lois
To quote Mallory Archer, "I'd put a shotgun in my mouth and pull the trigger with my toes."
5
What would you do if you had a positive test, seeing there's no preventative, cure or effective treatment? Lois
Actually there are probably lifestyle changes that could, conceivably, slow down the onset. If you have up to 10 years before onset, why not try to stretch that out to more? Once the onset was determined, I would try to set up a lifetime supply of marijuana. Perhaps the CBD would delay the progressive brain deterioration. But if not, I would still feel better about my plight in the meantime. I would also strongly consider an automated video system that would come on periodically to remind myself that I have Alzheimer's and to remind me where my stash was.
6

As a clinician I don’t really see much utility for this test other than as a research tool.
Contrary to what Tim implied there are no lifestyle measures that have been shown to be helpful in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s. Claims that reading, doing puzzles, or using pot could slow the development of Alzheimer’s disease have failed to hold up under close scrutiny. Medications like Namenda and Aricept can slow the illness for a short time but the effects are marginal.
We need better treatments before better tests will be of any use. There is a lot of harm that may come from doing a test that tells someone they have a higher risk (Thats all this test does. It doesn’t definitely diagnose Alzheimer’s) of developing a disease we can’t treat or prevent.

7

How about this?]
Study finds nicotine safe, helps in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

A study of Alzheimer's patients showed that those who wore nicotine patches were better able to remember and pay attention than those who didn't. Another study showed that nicotine boosted cognitive function in older people who didn't have Alzheimer's, but were showing signs of age-related mental decline. Nicotine also seems to protect against Parkinson's disease, in which the death of cells in a small area of the brain results in tremors, impairing movement and as well as cognitive difficulties.
Why is it helpful?
Nicotine is chemically similar to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that declines in Alzheimer's disease. Drugs such as Aricept help people with Alzheimer's by boosting brain levels of acetylcholine. Apparently, nicotine binds to the receptors in the brain normally occupied by acetylcholine, which benefits people who need more, but it has no apparent effect on those who don't.
No side effects or risk of addiction to nicotine?
What makes nicotine especially attractive as a treatment is the fact it causes virtually no side effects, according to Newhouse. "It seems very safe even in nonsmokers," he said. "In our studies we find it actually reduces blood pressure chronically. And there were no addiction or withdrawal problems, and nobody started smoking cigarettes. The risk of addiction to nicotine alone is virtually nil."
How about moderate smoking and/or posting and intellectual discourse at CFI? :cheese:
8
What would you do if you had a positive test, seeing there's no preventative, cure or effective treatment? Lois
Actually there are probably lifestyle changes that could, conceivably, slow down the onset. If you have up to 10 years before onset, why not try to stretch that out to more? Once the onset was determined, I would try to set up a lifetime supply of marijuana. Perhaps the CBD would delay the progressive brain deterioration. But if not, I would still feel better about my plight in the meantime. I would also strongly consider an automated video system that would come on periodically to remind myself that I have Alzheimer's and to remind me where my stash was. As long as you have the brain function to set such things up. The effectof lifestyle changes on Alzheimer's is speculative. If they have any positive effect it would only mean that you will be gaga for a longer period of time. LL
9

As I mentioned above, lifestyle changes have not been proven to reduce the risk or slow the effects Alzheimer’s disease. The early studies and even some recent ones that have made this claim have all been retrospective studies.
A typical study will look at the presence of Alzhemier’s and then look at prior or current history of reading, doing puzzles, exercise etc and then try to draw a conclusion form the correlation. This is one of the best examples of why we can NOT draw conclusions from these sorts of studies. If a group of people reads more than average and has less Alzheimer’s do they have less Alzheimer’s because they read more or do they read more because they don’t have as much Alzheimer’s? Some studies have tried to get around this problem by following people early on and then seeing if the people who read more when they are “healthy” have less Alzheimer’s than the people who read less when they were “healthy”. Even here there are problems because people who are apparently healthy may in fact have early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease that cause them to read less even before symptoms are apparent or perhaps people who read more have brains that are different from birth such that reading does not lower their risk of Alzheimer’s. It is simply a marker for a trait that makes them less prone to Alzheimer’s.
Most prospective controlled trials that I have seen have been unable to show any causative role between lifestyle interventions and reductions in Alzheimer’s although it is possible that we may need larger studies done over many decades to determine this for sure. It may be that doing puzzles or reading more when you are 60 will have no effect but habits like these begun when you are 20 may.
The take away message is if you enjoy reading, or doing puzzles, or exercising, or you are doing them for some other reason then go right ahead and do it, but if the only reason you are dong these thing is to protect against Alzheimer’s you are probably wasting your time.

10

Shotguns are for sale at S-Mart. Check sporting goods.

11

From this interesting paper here]
Brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease; use it or lose it
From the introduction:

There is also an increasing amount of literature indicating that activation of neurons may have a beneficial effect on neuronal function and survival during aging and AD and as a mechanism for this phenomenon the ‘use it or lose it’ principle has been proposed (Swaab, 1991; Swaab et al., 1998). Having a high IQ also helps to survive longer (Whalley and Deary, 2001). The positive correlation found between the age of onset of AD and premorbid brain size suggests that brain size may be an important determinant for the occurrence of AD symptoms (Schofield et al., 1995, 1997). Furthermore, the intelligence of AD patients is positively correlated with premorbid brain volume and negatively with the magnitude of brain atrophy
So, your IQ, using your brain, and it's size does matter. Is Alzheimer's disease (AD) a cerebral glucose metabolic disorder?
In this respect, it is interesting to note that isolated microvessels from the temporal cortices of AD patients showed decreased glucose metabolism, suggesting a global defect in brain energy metabolism (Marcus et al., 1989). Indeed, a 50–70% decline of glucose metabolism is found in the brain of AD patients, causing the ATP synthesis to be critically lowered (Meier-Ruge et al., 1994).
And:
As to the issue of hypometabolism being an early event, an important observation is that of Foster et al. (1984), who were the first to demonstrate that a substantial decrease in cerebral glucose metabolism may precede cognitive impairment.
Also, from this article here] Brain power: why using it helps stop losing it Going even deeper:
This final analysis revealed two very interesting results. First, a more active cognitive lifestyle in men was strongly linked to lower frequency and severity of vascular disease in the brain. In particular, mentally active men had about 80% lower chances of disease in their brain’s microscopic blood vessels. And this didn’t appear to be explained by differences in other lifestyle habits such as smoking, obesity and so on. Second, in both men and women, those with a more active cognitive lifestyle had more neurons (brain cells) and thicker cortical tissue in the frontal lobe part of the brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for many of the mind’s “executive processes", such as planning, strategising, controlling responses, switching attention and problem solving. So maintaining a more mentally “switched-on" lifestyle over many years may lead to structural benefits in the brain towards the end of life.
So, what does it mean?
Our research suggests that there could be a number of different pathways in the brain by which an active cognitive lifestyle leads to reduced dementia risk.
12
Going even deeper: This final analysis revealed two very interesting results. First, a more active cognitive lifestyle in men was strongly linked to lower frequency and severity of vascular disease in the brain. In particular, mentally active men had about 80% lower chances of disease in their brain’s microscopic blood vessels. And this didn’t appear to be explained by differences in other lifestyle habits such as smoking, obesity and so on. Second, in both men and women, those with a more active cognitive lifestyle had more neurons (brain cells) and thicker cortical tissue in the frontal lobe part of the brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for many of the mind’s “executive processes", such as planning, strategising, controlling responses, switching attention and problem solving. So maintaining a more mentally “switched-on" lifestyle over many years may lead to structural benefits in the brain towards the end of life. So, what does it mean?
This is exactly the sort of thing I am talking about above. If you read this it implies cause and effect but lets change the order of the wording around a little to this: "First, lower frequency and severity of vascular disease in the brain was strongly linked to a more active cognitive lifestyle in men." Its the same correlation exactly but you get a completely different cause and effect conclusion. We all need to be very careful about interpreting these retrospective studies. IN the case of Alzheimer's and lifestyle it is equally if not more likely that the physical changes in the brain lead to lifestyle differences rather than the other way around.
13
How about this?] Study finds nicotine safe, helps in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
A study of Alzheimer's patients showed that those who wore nicotine patches were better able to remember and pay attention than those who didn't. Another study showed that nicotine boosted cognitive function in older people who didn't have Alzheimer's, but were showing signs of age-related mental decline. Nicotine also seems to protect against Parkinson's disease, in which the death of cells in a small area of the brain results in tremors, impairing movement and as well as cognitive difficulties.
Why is it helpful?
Nicotine is chemically similar to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that declines in Alzheimer's disease. Drugs such as Aricept help people with Alzheimer's by boosting brain levels of acetylcholine. Apparently, nicotine binds to the receptors in the brain normally occupied by acetylcholine, which benefits people who need more, but it has no apparent effect on those who don't.
No side effects or risk of addiction to nicotine?
What makes nicotine especially attractive as a treatment is the fact it causes virtually no side effects, according to Newhouse. "It seems very safe even in nonsmokers," he said. "In our studies we find it actually reduces blood pressure chronically. And there were no addiction or withdrawal problems, and nobody started smoking cigarettes. The risk of addiction to nicotine alone is virtually nil."
How about moderate smoking and/or posting and intellectual discourse at CFI? The latter definitely works, no testing necessary. :) Lois :cheese:
14
As I mentioned above, lifestyle changes have not been proven to reduce the risk or slow the effects Alzheimer's disease. The early studies and even some recent ones that have made this claim have all been retrospective studies. A typical study will look at the presence of Alzhemier's and then look at prior or current history of reading, doing puzzles, exercise etc and then try to draw a conclusion form the correlation. This is one of the best examples of why we can NOT draw conclusions from these sorts of studies. If a group of people reads more than average and has less Alzheimer's do they have less Alzheimer's because they read more or do they read more because they don't have as much Alzheimer's? Some studies have tried to get around this problem by following people early on and then seeing if the people who read more when they are "healthy" have less Alzheimer's than the people who read less when they were "healthy". Even here there are problems because people who are apparently healthy may in fact have early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease that cause them to read less even before symptoms are apparent or perhaps people who read more have brains that are different from birth such that reading does not lower their risk of Alzheimer's. It is simply a marker for a trait that makes them less prone to Alzheimer's. Most prospective controlled trials that I have seen have been unable to show any causative role between lifestyle interventions and reductions in Alzheimer's although it is possible that we may need larger studies done over many decades to determine this for sure. It may be that doing puzzles or reading more when you are 60 will have no effect but habits like these begun when you are 20 may. The take away message is if you enjoy reading, or doing puzzles, or exercising, or you are doing them for some other reason then go right ahead and do it, but if the only reason you are dong these thing is to protect against Alzheimer's you are probably wasting your time.
Here you go, MacGyver, going all sciency on us again! :) Lois
15
From this interesting paper here] Brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease; use it or lose it From the introduction:
There is also an increasing amount of literature indicating that activation of neurons may have a beneficial effect on neuronal function and survival during aging and AD and as a mechanism for this phenomenon the ‘use it or lose it’ principle has been proposed (Swaab, 1991; Swaab et al., 1998). Having a high IQ also helps to survive longer (Whalley and Deary, 2001). The positive correlation found between the age of onset of AD and premorbid brain size suggests that brain size may be an important determinant for the occurrence of AD symptoms (Schofield et al., 1995, 1997). Furthermore, the intelligence of AD patients is positively correlated with premorbid brain volume and negatively with the magnitude of brain atrophy
So, your IQ, using your brain, and it's size does matter. Is Alzheimer's disease (AD) a cerebral glucose metabolic disorder?
In this respect, it is interesting to note that isolated microvessels from the temporal cortices of AD patients showed decreased glucose metabolism, suggesting a global defect in brain energy metabolism (Marcus et al., 1989). Indeed, a 50–70% decline of glucose metabolism is found in the brain of AD patients, causing the ATP synthesis to be critically lowered (Meier-Ruge et al., 1994).
And:
As to the issue of hypometabolism being an early event, an important observation is that of Foster et al. (1984), who were the first to demonstrate that a substantial decrease in cerebral glucose metabolism may precede cognitive impairment.
Also, from this article here] Brain power: why using it helps stop losing it Going even deeper:
This final analysis revealed two very interesting results. First, a more active cognitive lifestyle in men was strongly linked to lower frequency and severity of vascular disease in the brain. In particular, mentally active men had about 80% lower chances of disease in their brain’s microscopic blood vessels. And this didn’t appear to be explained by differences in other lifestyle habits such as smoking, obesity and so on. Second, in both men and women, those with a more active cognitive lifestyle had more neurons (brain cells) and thicker cortical tissue in the frontal lobe part of the brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for many of the mind’s “executive processes", such as planning, strategising, controlling responses, switching attention and problem solving. So maintaining a more mentally “switched-on" lifestyle over many years may lead to structural benefits in the brain towards the end of life.
So, what does it mean?
Our research suggests that there could be a number of different pathways in the brain by which an active cognitive lifestyle leads to reduced dementia risk.
So, a big maybe. Lois
16
Shotguns are for sale at S-Mart. Check sporting goods.
DM, Just a thought: You might want to get the test. If you have up to 10 years notice, before onset, you will have plenty of time to train for your ultimate solution. You wouldn't want to kick the gun off mark and blow off half your face (instead of eliminating your brains). Then you would not only still have Alzheimer's, you would also have a very painful mess.
17

At least there is some hope for mice with Alzheimer’s. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-014-3478-5
Cannabidiol (CBD). Too bad researchers are hamstrung in doing research on cannabinoids, by virtue of the Schedule 1 classification of marijuana. (Not that a lot of research hasn’t been done. It’s just painfully slowed.)

18
DM, Just a thought: You might want to get the test. If you have up to 10 years notice, before onset, you will have plenty of time to train for your ultimate solution. You wouldn't want to kick the gun off mark and blow off half your face (instead of eliminating your brains). Then you would not only still have Alzheimer's, you would also have a very painful mess.
True. Very true. You know what the funniest thing is? I' m not really kidding. I'm terrified of Alzheimer's and dementia in general. If I got diagnosed and was still cogent enough to realize it, I probably would try to off myself. Maybe Fargo style. Hah hah! Body in a wood chipper.
19
Shotguns are for sale at S-Mart. Check sporting goods.
DM, Just a thought: You might want to get the test. If you have up to 10 years notice, before onset, you will have plenty of time to train for your ultimate solution. You wouldn't want to kick the gun off mark and blow off half your face (instead of eliminating your brains). Then you would not only still have Alzheimer's, you would also have a very painful mess. What would you mean, "train for an ultimate solution"? So far there is no preventative or remedy. How do you 'train" for it? Work out in a gym? You might as well do all the things you think might help and forget about the diagnosis. It can't hurt. Lois
20
Shotguns are for sale at S-Mart. Check sporting goods.
DM, Just a thought: You might want to get the test. If you have up to 10 years notice, before onset, you will have plenty of time to train for your ultimate solution. You wouldn't want to kick the gun off mark and blow off half your face (instead of eliminating your brains). Then you would not only still have Alzheimer's, you would also have a very painful mess. What would you mean, "train for an ultimate solution"? So far there is no preventative or remedy. How do you 'train" for it? Work out in a gym? You might as well do all the things you think might help and forget about the diagnosis. It can't hurt. Lois I was riffing off of DM's gallows-humor/suicidal-ideation. His plan is to pull the trigger on his shotgun with his toes. This could go without the intended effect if he did not practice (with unloaded weapon). But, seriously, since he is, apparently, at least partially serious, I would urge him to scrap that plan, altogether... And now, riffing again, I would suggest that he, instead, try to overdose on CBD. (as the latter would be next to impossible, and might even help, especially if he has mice genes).