Clifford Jack and Mayo Clinic colleagues have proposed a biomarker, not behavior, based standard for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.
Instead of defining the disease through symptoms such as memory or thinking problems, the researchers focus on biological changes, including brain plaques and tangles, determined by brain scans and spinal fluid tests.
The new approach can help researchers study patients with normal brain function who are likely to develop dementia, and help avoid misdiagnosis. Up to 30 per cent of behavior-based, Alzheimer’s diagnosed patients do not have the disease, with memory or thinking problems caused by something else.
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