NPR

Scientists Aim For Better, Cheaper Tests For Alzheimer's

The goal is to find accurate, painless tests that can help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's early and track the progression of the illness and any response to treatment. A few tests seem promising.
Finding some change in the blood of an Alzheimer's patient that accurately reflects the damaging changes in the brain has been tough.

Efforts to develop a treatment that stalls the memory-robbing devastation of Alzheimer's disease have so far been unsuccessful, but scientists are making strides in another important area: the development of better tests to tell who has the condition.

Their aim is to develop more accurate, cheaper, and less invasive tests to detect the biological markers of Alzheimer's-induced changes in the brain.

At the recent Alzheimer's Association International Conference , scientists presented early but promising data on a new blood test and a novel brain imaging technique. They also unveiled preliminary data on a study to investigate the potential

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Tornadoes Tear Through The Southeastern U.S. As Storms Leave 3 Dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could march through parts of the South early Thursday, after deadly storms a day earlier spawned damaging tornadoes and massive hail.
NPR6 min read
A New Face, And New Chapter, In R&B's Unstoppable Rap Makeover
Dallas singer 4batz rose from obscurity to a breathlessly awaited debut in barely a year — but his arrival is part of a tense exchange between hip-hop and R&B more than a decade in the making.
NPR3 min read
FTX Says It Will Return Money To Most Of Its Customers
FTX says that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded, and some will get more than that.

Related