Brain Scan can Diagnose Alzheimers Disease
November, 2002. Even though Alzheimer’s disease takes a terrible toll on the memories and lives of millions of adults each year, doctors often face great uncertainty when trying to diagnose it in living people. Several other diseases can mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, and only an autopsy can confirm a diagnosis for certain. The lack of a definitive Alzheimer’s test didn’t matter so much in the past, but in recent years new drugs and therapies have been shown to slow the spiral of memory loss and behavior changes that Alzheimer’s patients face. A good new diagnostic test could help patients get help early — and make the most of their remaining years. That’s why University of Michigan Health System researchers and others are so excited about a kind of medical imaging that they think can tell Alzheimer’s disease apart from other disorders.
