XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
  Parkinson's
  Dementia
   Alzheimer's
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
Search

Last Updated: Aug 19th, 2006 - 22:18:38

Alzheimer's Channel
subscribe to Alzheimer's newsletter

Latest Research : Aging : Dementia : Alzheimer's

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
MCI-A and MCI-MCD - two transitional states that lead to Alzheimer's disease
Jan 22, 2006, 16:33, Reviewed by: Dr. Himanshu Tyagi

"We can now see the pattern of brain damage in people with MCI and we can use these new types of images to monitor how different therapies may be working"

 
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between normal cognition and Alzheimer's disease, exists in two different forms, according to a study published today by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles in the Archives of Neurology.

Using a new imaging procedure that creates 3-D maps of the brain, researchers determined specific areas that had degenerated in people with MCI. Depending on the person's symptoms, more tissue was lost in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for memory and one of the earliest to change in Alzheimer's disease, indicating two different paths of progression to Alzheimer's disease. The finding could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of patients with MCI, perhaps delaying or preventing the onset of dementia.

MCI is categorized into two sub-types � currently distinguished based solely on symptoms. Those with MCI, amnesic subtype (MCI-A) have memory impairments only, while those with MCI, multiple cognitive domain subtype (MCI-MCD) have other types of mild impairments, such as in judgment or language, but also have either mild or no memory loss. Both sub-types progress to Alzheimer's disease at the same rate. Until now it was not known if the pathologies of the two types of MCI were different, or if MCI-MCD was just a more advanced form of MCI-A.

Researchers found that the hippocampus of the patients with MCI-A was 14 percent smaller than that of the healthy subjects, nearly as great as the 23 percent shrinkage seen in Alzheimer's disease. But, the hippocampus of those with MCI-MCD most resembled that of the controls, showing only 5 percent shrinkage.

Using highly accurate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data from six patients with MCI-A, 20 with MCI-MCD and 20 with Alzheimer's disease who were seen at the University of Pittsburgh's Alzheimer Disease Research Center and 20 healthy controls, researchers created 3-D mesh reconstructions of each participant's hippocampus that allowed them to see where the hippocampus had deteriorated. This study is the first to use such modeling technology to visualize changes in the brains of people with MCI. Prior studies have only been able to measure the volume of the hippocampus and estimate atrophy through noticeable volume loss.

"These vibrant images produced by 3-D modeling have proven what we suspected � there are at least two transitional states that lead to Alzheimer's disease," said James T. Becker, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist and professor of psychiatry, neurology and psychology, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "Now we can investigate these pathways and develop treatments that, we hope, may slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's."

Alzheimer's disease affects as many as 10 percent of people older than 65, and delaying or preventing the onset of dementia is an important medical priority. "We can now see the pattern of brain damage in people with MCI and we can use these new types of images to monitor how different therapies may be working," said Paul M. Thompson, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, at the University of California, Los Angeles. "By imaging the brain like this, we can explore the progression of diseases, and see if therapies are protecting the brain."
 

- Archives of Neurology
 

www.upmc.edu

 
Subscribe to Alzheimer's Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

This research was conducted by the Imaging Methods and Analysis in Geriatrics Research Group. Co-authors of this study from the University of Pittsburgh were: Simon W. Davis, department of psychiatry; Carolyn Cidis Meltzer, M.D., departments of radiology and psychiatry and Oscar L. Lopez, M.D., department of neurology. Contributing from UCLA were Kiralee M. Hayashi and Arthur W. Toga, Ph.D., both of the department of neurology.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Research Resources and National Institute of General Medical Sciences.


Related Alzheimer's News

Hope remains for Alzheimer's sufferers
CATIE Study: Antipsychotics in Alzheimer's No Better Than Placebo
Mediterranean diet associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer�s disease
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may slow cognitive decline
Microscopic brain damage detected in early Alzheimer's disease
Novel technique can identify early cellular damage in Alzheimer's disease
Cathepsin B - Part of protective mechanism against Alzheimer's
Boosting ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (Uch-L1) restores lost memory
New research points toward mechanism of age-onset toxicity of Alzheimer's protein
Structure of calbindin-D28K Protein Involved in Preventing Alzheimer�s, Huntington�s Diseases Characterised


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us