| ■ Alzheimer's Blood Test Moving Closer to Reality | 2011.07.22 |
| A blood test to screen people for brain plaques that are telltale signs of Alzheimer's disease appears closer to reality, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. Clinical results found an experimental test was successful in detecting the sticky clumps of beta amyloid protein on the brain that indicated the potential onset of Alzheimer's before memory and cognitive problems became apparent, the wire service said. Results on the test, developed by Australia's national science agency CSIRO, were reported at Wednesday's Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Paris. A clinical study of more than 1,100 people found that the test correctly identified 83 percent of people with high amyloid levels and correctly ruled out 85 percent of people who didn't have this condition. |