It is clear that we need to
develop protocols using eye testing. Not
only do we have here a clearly indicated path for mapping the progress of Alzheimer’s
but prior work has also showed we can map the progress of circulatory disease.
This work also shows us that we
can apply therapies and then map their efficiency if any.
To start with, I would run large
clinical studies in which:
1
The progress of circulatory indicated disease is
precisely mapped over the duration of the trial.
2
The progress of the development of Alzheimer’s is
tested over the duration of the trial.
3
Half the population would be put of a massive vitamin C
regime (10,000 mgs to 20,000 mgs) to compare results.
This is an extremely important
question for the care of both diseases.
The results may be negative, but we need to know that also. Importantly, gaming the test with low doses is
fraud and needs to be said before the arguments start.
What is important here is that
issues related to circulation finds expression in the eyes were they can be
observed and recorded and measured over and over again. Nothing else is as effective.
Perhaps we will also stumble on
additional indications while we are at it.
Falls, Eye Test May Lend Early Alzheimer's Clues
Monday, July 18, 2011 9:15 AM
Scientists in Australia
Although it has been tried on just a small number of people and more
research is needed, the experimental test has a solid basis: Alzheimer's is
known to cause changes in the eyes, not just the brain. Other scientists in the
United States
A separate study found that falls might be an early warning sign of
Alzheimer's. People who seemed to have healthy minds but who were discovered to
have hidden plaques clogging their brains were five times more likely to fall
during the study than those without these brain deposits, which are a hallmark
of Alzheimer's.
Both studies were discussed Sunday at the Alzheimer's Association
International Conference in France
More than 5.4 million Americans and 35 million people worldwide have
Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. It has no cure and drugs only
temporarily ease symptoms, so finding it early mostly helps patients and their
families prepare and arrange care.
Brain scans can find evidence of Alzheimer's a decade or more before it
causes memory and thinking problems, but they're too expensive and impractical
for routine use. A simple eye test and warning signs like falls could be a big
help.
The eye study involved photographing blood vessels in the retina, the
nerve layer lining the back of the eyes. Most eye doctors have the cameras used
for this, but it takes a special computer program to measure blood vessels for
the experimental test doctors are using in the Alzheimer's research, said the
study's leader, Shaun Frost of Australia's national science agency, CSIRO.
Researchers compared retinal photos of 110 healthy people, 13 people
with Alzheimer's, and 13 others with mild cognitive impairment, or
"pre-Alzheimer's," who were taking part in a larger study on aging.
The widths of certain blood vessels in those with Alzheimer's were different
from vessels in the others and the amount of difference matched the amount of
plaque seen on brain scans.
More study is planned on larger groups to see how accurate the test
might be, Frost said.
Earlier work by Dr. Lee Goldstein of Boston University showed that
amyloid, the protein that makes up Alzheimer's brain plaque, can be measured in
the lens of the eyes of some people with the disease, particularly Down
syndrome patients who often are prone to Alzheimer's.
A company he holds stock in, Neuroptix, is testing a laser eye scanner
to measure amyloid in the eyes. Goldstein praised the work by the Australian
scientists.
"It's a small study" but "suggestive and
encouraging," he said. "My hat's off to them for looking outside the
brain for other areas where we might see other evidence of this disease."
Eye doctors often are the first to see patients with signs of
Alzheimer's, which can start with vision changes, not just the memory problems
the disease is most known for, said Dr. Ronald Petersen, a Mayo Clinic dementia
expert with no role in the new studies.
Other signs could be balance and gait problems, which may show up
before mental changes do. Susan Stark of Washington
University in St. Louis
It involved 125 people with an average age 74, who had normal cognition
and were taking part in a federally funded study of aging. They kept journals
on how often they fell, and had brain scans and spinal taps to look for various
substances that can signal Alzheimer's disease.
In six months, 48 fell at least once. The risk of falling was nearly
three times greater for each unit of increase in the sticky plaque that scans
revealed in their brains.
"Falls are tricky" because they can be medication related or
due to dizziness from high blood pressure, a blood vessel problem, or other
diseases like Parkinson's, said Creighton Phelps, a neuroscientist at the
National Institute on Aging.
Falls also can cause head injury or brain trauma that leads to
cognitive problems, said Laurie Ryan, who oversees some of the institute's
research grants but had no role in the study. Older people who hit their heads
and suffer a small tear or bleeding in the brain might seem fine but develop
symptoms a month later, she said.
The bottom line: "If you see somebody who's having falls for no
particular reason," the person should be evaluated for dementia, said
William Thies, the Alzheimer's Association's scientific director.
The warning signs of Alzheimer's disease include:
• memory loss that disrupts daily life
• trouble planning or solving problems
• difficulty completing tasks
• confusion with time or place
• trouble understanding images and spatial relationships
• new problems with speaking or writing words
• misplacing things and inability to retrace steps
• decreased or poor judgment
• social withdrawal
• changes in mood or personality
© 2011 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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