Researchers Work On Update For Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease

By: Kafi Drexel

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According to the Alzheimer's Association, over five million Americans are now living with Alzheimer's disease. Now scientists are trying to update guidelines for diagnosis as soon as this fall, which could reflect a substantial increase in the number of people impacted. NY1's Health reporter Kafi Drexel filed the following report.

Dahlia Moore of Flatbush, Brooklyn says she first noticed some odd behavioral changes in her mother well over a decade ago, around the time her father was losing his battle with colon cancer.

"We just thought the behavior was based on extreme stress and depression, because she was going into deep depression during his illness," says Moore.

It wasn't until 2008 though that her mother, a former nurse, who Moore describes as a once "extroverted, fun-loving, quiet, and dignified person," was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

The criteria doctors use for recognizing the disease was developed more than 25 years ago, and scientists have since learned a lot more. New guidelines currently under exploration by the National Institute for Aging and the Alzheimer's Association could speed up diagnosis.

"The new guidelines for diagnostics allow us to understand earlier that people are on a road, a path to get Alzheimer's disease," says Lou-Ellen Barkan, the president and chief executive officer of the New York City Alzheimer's Association. "They're very important because the more people who think they are at risk, the more advocates we'll have."

The guidelines would include not just assessing cognitive function but also look at biomarkers: brain scans, MRIs and other tests still being approved for Alzheimer's diagnosis that can show changes in the brain.

"The clinicians's task is to determine whether or not this is a change and how the change occurred may not have full clinical information. The added support of a biomarker would be helpful," says Dr. Mary Sano of Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

Had they received the diagnosis earlier, Moore wonders if they would have been able to slow down its progression of her now 88-year-old mother's disease.

"First of all we'd have more understanding. We just thought sometimes we were unduly harsh thinking, 'Well, pull yourself together,' not knowing she was unable to do it," says Moore. "And we have since learned about the drugs that slow the process down and had we known, we certainly would have explored some of these drugs."

Scientists may have some new guidelines in place as soon as the fall, but the development of solid testing of biomarkers for diagnostic purposes may still be a few years down the road.